The Jinchuriki of the WorldEater
by Soleneus
Summary: Alduin was defeated, cast through time until he arrived in the Elemental Nations. More precisely, in Naruto Uzumaki's stomach, along with a large, angry Fox that wouldn't stop threatening him. The World-Eater raises the baby boy, teaching him all he knows. The world will change. The Daedra a watching. The Aedra are watching. And Naruto is right in the middle of all it. Large Harem.
1. The World-Eater's Vessel

Jinchuriki of the World-Eater.

Smoke rose over the mountains of Sovngarde, covering the beautiful constellations and the Borealis that decorated the sky in a smothering blanket of ill-intent. Rocks wreathed in fire fell from the clouds like deadly rain, hitting the ground and exploding into shards of red-hot stone.

A great black dragon, covered blacks scales that were curved and sharp as blades, gave one last roar from its' bloodied maw and collapsed in a heap of limps and blood. With a small crack and a great explosion, the scales exploded off of its' body, peppering the area with fragments.

Mira, Dragonborn Nord and Thane of Whiterun, raised her shield reflexively, the sharp shards bouncing off of the metal with small _ping_ noises. When the danger had passed, she lowered her shield, and prepared for the onrush of memories that came with absorbing a dragon's soul. When nothing was forthcoming, Mira stared at the slain corpse of Alduin, waiting for it to burst into flames like all the others.

Wind, colored orange and red with hints of purple streamed from the body as it disintegrated into dust, but instead of heading towards the Dragonborn, it flew off into the distance, joining with the vortex in the sky until it faded.

Her companion, an old hero, answered Mira's questioning gaze in his solemn voice. "Perhaps Alduin isn't truly dead. This defeat may have only banished him, and when the time finally comes, he will rise once again, to fulfill his destiny."

Mira shook her head, glancing once more at area Alduin's body had occupied. "Whenever Alduin returns, maybe the world will need to be ended. It is of no matter to us any longer, simply time."

…

Red pupil-less eyes snapped open; flickering inside their sockets; taking in everything about the surroundings the Great Dragon suddenly found himself in.

Ankle-high water lapped at his talons. The ceiling was smooth stone, with weak, thin blue metal pipes running through it. Wherever he had ended up, it was not the time he occupied previously.

A roar drew Alduin's attention to a large cage, with bars so tall they disappeared into the darkness of the ceiling; a large, red and decidedly furious nine-tailed fox thrashed and raged, slamming its' body against the cage, which was held shut by single piece of paper with a strange markings on it.

Alduin arched a scaly eyebrow at the cautiously, sniffing it cautiously. **Strange. This little paper holds a fraction of Arkay's power. Why would he seal a Daedra inside a cage? And in such a strange place?**

"_**You!"**_

Alduin gave the nine tailed demon a bored look as it shouted at him, arching a scaly eyebrow in an oddly human fashion. **"What do you want, Daedra?" **He asked, forsaking his native tongue in irritation.

The fox roared and snapped at him through the bars, _**"Release me from this prison at once, and I will grant you the mercy of a quick death!" **_It shouted at him.

Alduin snorted and laughed darkly. **"You, a Daedra weak enough to be locked behind a scrap of paper, believe you can slay me, the first-born of Akatosh?"**

He snorted, blowing a cloud of smoke at the foxes' muzzle. **"Such folly. I could destroy you with minimal effort, a waste of my power. A human would present more of a challenge. You, however, are not worthy of my time, infinite that it may be."**

With his piece said, Alduin turned away from the cage, showing the vulpine Daedra his back. The fox roared and thrashed some more, screaming and threatening while trying to reach through the bars to seize his tail.

The Dragon's face showed irritation and he spun around to face the caged creature. **"Nahlot!"** Alduin shouted, a wave of energy flying from his mouth and to slam into the fox, bowling it over with force of his Voice. When it recovered and stood, the fox opened its' mouth to speak and threaten again; but found that no sound would issue from it.

The great dragon sniffed contemptuously. **"Weak."**

A cry sounded from below the Dragon, one out of place in the water-laden pipes. Looking down curiously, Alduin found a child, no more than a day old, floating in the water near his taloned feet. The baby had his hands out, grasping at his legs as if he wanted to touch the mighty beast, showing no fear at the menacing visage hovering over him.

Alduin lowered his snout to the baby and sniffed, ignoring the way the child giggled as his breath tickled his stomach. **"You smell of Arkay, child."** His red eyes fell on the seal holding the raging fox shut, recalling the similar scent.

"**You must be the container for the deadra."** He narrowed his eyes on the child, who just clapped his hands and giggled. **"Though why the Death God would do such a thing is beyond my comprehension."**

He lowered his snout again, softly nudging the babe with his nose. The child reached out, and clumsily patted the great dragon on the snout, feeling the smooth scales with a tiny hand. Alduin hummed with curiosity. **"Interesting…you do not fear me, do you?"** He lowered his head further, so that one red eye was looking at the child's face. **"Many strong men and Daedra alike have been consumed by the power of my voice, little Jul.**"

The child simply giggled and patted Alduin on the snout again. However, when the babe took his hand from the dragon, a single small black scale stuck to his to the palm of his hand, seemingly without cause. The child stared curiously at the foreign object attached to him and blinked curiously when black lines began to crawl across his skin, up his arm and to his face, forming into four closely-spaced fang-like markings. Black ink bled out of his skin, forming a mask-like tattoo upon his visage. The babe's eyes changed slightly, the previous black pupils lightening into a familiar reddish-orange that contrasted greatly with the cerulean irises.

Alduin tilted his head, looking at the face of the child. **"Hm. Yet even more oddity about you, child.** **A blessing from my father, Akatosh."** The dragon tapped his chin with a talon in a surprisingly human fashion. **"He rarely interferes with the lives of humans except for the worst of crises."** Air swirled around Alduin, concealing his form and stirring up the water which rocked the floating child.

When the air cleared, there stood a tall man in place of a dragon. With long black hair, black robes with red runes running the length of the cloth and smaller horns on his head, the aristocratic shape of his face, and the cunning glimmer in his red-orange eyes, he looked every bit a regal being.

Alduin bent and picked the child from the water, cradling him in his arms. The baby giggled and clapped excitedly, a wide, toothless smile on his pudgy face.

"Now, child, what do you know about the Deities?" Alduin looked at the baby expectantly, then shook his head. "You don't know anything, right. It's a child. How could it know anything?" The last part was muttered to himself. Waving a hand carelessly, he created a chair from the water and sat down, settling the child in his lap. "Well now. How about I teach you some words? At the very least, you would be a better conversationalist."

"Ab-a!"

"…What does that mean? Is that some kind name?"

"Ab-a!"

"Seriously, child. Stop talking nonsense."

"Ab-a?"

"Is that all you can say?"

"Ab-a."

"…I'll take that as a yes."

…

**Years later…**

Suffice to say, life for Uzumaki Naruto was…rather _strange_. His first word, when he finally spoke, was, "Dovah!" That confused the hell out of the matron of the orphanage, having a strange child speak to her in a guttural language. Especially when he began to talk at people who already viewed him in with wary countenances.

He was a rather cheerful child, despite his situation and even when no one understood what he was saying.

The only problem was there were many who did not like him, or were openly hostile despite his outlook. The matron and other caretakers at the orphanage were indifferent to him, as they were with the other children, only talking to him when they had to. Most of the other kids stayed away from him; most thought he was weird, talking in a made-up language with his weird, scary face paint that never came off.

When he was six years old, a drunken chunin crept into Naruto's room with the intent to kill the Kyuubi jinchuriki, believing him to be demonically possessed in his inebriated stupor. The ANBU posted around the clock to watch Naruto were able to stop the chunin before he made it more than three feet into the child's room, but the matron deemed Naruto a danger to the other children and escorted him to the Hokage, who gave the child an apartment and a monthly stipend, with watchers who would make sure he survived.

Later that very same day, Naruto was out wandering the village at night, his strange new home foreign and uncomfortable, when he stumbled across a man fully dressed in black carrying a bundle over his shoulder. Naruto heard the bundle softly crying and narrowed his eyes in determination.

After the Hyuuga heiress had gone missing in the middle of the night, the whole of Konoha's ninja forces searched high and low for the little girl. When her father finally found his little girl, Hinata was chatting quite happily with Naruto as the man from Kumo was lying unconscious on the ground, curled up in the fetal position in a puddle of his own vomit.

When asked what happened, Naruto simply explained to them that he followed the example of several women he had seen by the hotsprings when a man peeked on them; mainly, hitting the older man in between the legs with a stick, hard enough that the man vomited and collapsed.

From that day forward, Naruto was always welcomed into the Hyuuga compound with open arms and smiles, especially from Hinata and her twin sister, Hanabi.

Not even a year later, Naruto, once again wandering the village at night, this time from simple insomnia, slipped away from the ANBU that watched over him and came across a terrible sight.

The door to the Uchiha compound had been left ajar, something that never happened due to the Clans' paranoia. Curious, Naruto took a look inside and nearly retched. What he found were corpses decorating the ground, blood that ran in rivers and streams and even more red liquid splashed everywhere.

Gathering his courage, he stepped inside the compound, he heard screams that made him dash through the blood-soaked streets, regardless of his safety. He found Itachi Uchiha, covered in the blood of his clansmen, standing over his mother, ready to strike her down with his kodachi, the Uchiha patriarch already dead on the floor.

Ignoring the shock of his peaceful watcher, who enjoyed playing games with the young blond, being the one who slaughtered his clan, Naruto dashed into the room and slammed himself against Itachi's leg, making the ANBU captain stumble off-balance and miss his mother.

Taking his chance, Naruto channeled Alduins' power and let loose a piercing shout that echoed across the entire village, waking the sleeping people and alarming the ninja population.

Itachi fell to one knee, clutching his bleeding ears and grimacing in pain. With his plan compromised by one he was unwilling to kill, the Uchiha heir looked into Naruto's eyes, his Sharingan twisting into a different form. "Tsukiyomi!"

Naruto suddenly found himself in a world that was bathed in blood red light coming from the red moon above him. Itachi appeared before him, his face sad, tears running down his cheeks. "Naruto-kun, I'm afraid that I won't be able to watch after you any more. This is something that I must do."

Naruto gazed at Itachi with a confusion and sadness warring on his face. "Why are you doing this, onii-san?" He asked.

Itachi knelt and set a hand and Naruto's shoulder and told him about what the Uchiha had been planning to do, how he was forced to massacre his family to keep everyone else safe, and how important it was that no one knew his reasons.

Naruto understood, but wished things could have been different.

The effects of being under a genjutsu that strong took a toll on Naruto's mind, and when it was released the strain hit him quickly and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

…

When Naruto awoke, it was to the sounds of a girl crying. Blinking groggily, he rolled over in the hospital bed and peered over the railing. In the bed next to his, there was a shaking form covered by a thin blanket, curled into a ball and sobbing, with small sniffles echoing around the empty room.

A girl's voice, just loud enough that the blond could hear it, if only barely, mumbled thickly, "Why, onii-san? Why?" in between sobs.

Naruto pulled himself over the railing, dropping down to the floor quietly. He made his way over to the other bed and climbed up onto mattress. Sitting on his knees, he shook the figure's shoulder gently.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked with quiet worry.

The figure quickly turned over, face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. It was a girl with teary onyx eyes, straight black hair and a heart-shaped face that was streaked with tears. Her eyes were red from crying, as well as wide from the fact that another person was in her bed.

"W-who are you?" She whispered quietly, subtly trying to back away from the stranger.

"I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. He found himself pulled into a sudden embrace, the quick action taking him by surprise. The girl began to cry harder, wetting his shirt with her tears.

Naruto panicked, thinking that he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything!" He whispered frantically, wrapping his arms around the girl.

The girl hiccupped and spoke quietly into his shoulder. "Sometimes, when Itachi-nii tucked me in to bed, he-he would tell me stories about you. He said that you were the nicest boy he'd ever met, happy all the time and cheerful."

Naruto said nothing, not having anything to say, and the girl continued.

"He was so nice to me…why did he do it? Why did he kill them?" Naruto tightened his arms around her as she began to sob again. Taking a leap of faith, He told the girl everything that her brother had relayed to him in the Tsukiyomi World.

At the end, she stared at him in disbelief. "My dad…was plotting to overthrow the Hokage?" Naruto nodded seriously. She blinked. "But…why did Itachi have to kill them all? Couldn't he have just killed the leaders?"

Naruto shrugged and shook his head. "He said that he didn't kill every one. He had help from someone else, but he wouldn't say who. Just told me that he wore a weird mask."

The girl, still holding onto Naruto, looked down, thinking hard. Deciding to lighten the mood, Naruto smiled encouragingly at the girl and asked, "What's your name? I told you mine, but never got yours."

The girl smiled slightly, glad for the distraction. "I'm Suki, Suki Uchiha."

"Well, Suki, we should probably go back to sleep. The moon is still out." He made to let go and return to his bed

Suki gained a panicked look and clutched Naruto tighter. "Please don't make me…" She whispered fearfully, "I don't want to see all the bodies and the blood again!"

He stroked her back soothingly and slowly lay down on the pillow. "Don't worry, Suki-chan. I'll be here to keep the nightmares away, alright?"

She nodded tentatively, and laid her head down, Naruto holding onto her comfortingly. Eventually she relaxed, and slipped into a restful slumber, followed shortly by her bed companion.

…

From that day forth, Naruto and Suki were best friends. The only surviving members of the Uchiha, her and her mother Mikoto, moved out of the now abandoned and blood-stained Uchiha compound and moved into the apartment complex where Naruto lived, wanting to stay close to Suki's new friend.

Eventually, Naruto introduced the Uchiha heiress to Hinata and her twin sister. When they first met, The Uchiha and Hyuuga Heiresses had a three-way stare-off with each other, eyes narrowed and glaring.

Suki had grabbed Naruto's right arm tightly and held it to her chest; Hinata grabbed his left and enfolded it in her arms and Hanabi had latched onto his torso like a limpet.

The blonde blinked confusedly, glancing at the girls who were holding onto him possessively. It would not be the last time such actions would elude his understanding.

Through the years, Naruto grew under Alduin's tutelage, as the Ageless Dragon knew much. He learned about the deities, or the Aedra: Akatosh, Arkay, Mara, Talos, Stendarr, Zenithar, Kynareth, Dibella and Julianos, benign beings who watched over the world. Alduin in particular paid a lot of attention to Akatosh, seeing as he was his father.

Naruto also learned of the Deadric Lords, such as Mehrunes Dagon, Nocturnal, and Azura, the chaotic, dangerous and occasionally good deities, opposite of the Aedra.

It was during Naruto's academy years that Alduin began to teach the blonde container magic, fighting styles and swordsmanship lost to time and space.

When asked how he knew all that he did of human abilities, Alduin replied, **"Just because my job is to remake the world, doesn't mean I don't like to get up and about every once in a while."**

He elaborated at Naruto's confused look. **"Every once in awhile I like to get out into the world and look around, living a lifetime or two as a different race, learning how to fight like they do. With that in mind, I've been alive for thousands of years, so I have a lot of experience in these things."** With that, an evil, toothy grin grew on the dragons face. **"Of course, I will be teaching you everything I know. And that means training worthy of a Dragon. And Dragons do not hold back."**

From then on, life was hard, but very worth the constant pain and exhaustion. In the mornings, Naruto worked his body extensively with stretches, weights and running to build muscles and stamina.

It was also during that time that the young blond learned of Magic. Not the Jutsu ninjas used, but an entirely separate system with different mechanics and effects. There were similarities of course. The most destructive spells used Fire, Ice and Lightning; but there were many more for almost everything, including healing abilities and transmuting ore into something more valuable.

These abilities Naruto hid from all but the most important of people, which included his friends and the Hokage. His predisposition for fire spells was noted as a slight indication of pyromania, natural for a dragon.

And, naturally, when his body was capable of handling them, Alduin taught him of the Thu'um, the Dragon's Voice. And, equally naturally, Naruto took to it like a true Dragon, his voice becoming one of his deadliest weapons in his arsenal. And with his father-figure's power flowing through him, his Thu'um was far more powerful by far than even the ancient Greybeards.

Later, with help from a girl a year older than him and a friend from the orphanage, Naruto got a job working at a weapons supply shop, carrying heavy pallets of metal and other materials for forging. Over time, Tenten, who helped run the shop, taught him how to use the forge with permission from her father. With help from Alduin, Naruto was able to find an ebony ore vein in the basement underneath his apartment, and forge it into a sword and dagger.

Tenten, having an appreciation for all things sharp, deadly and exotic, begged for weapons made from ebony. Naruto could not resist his first friend nor her puppy-dog eyes, and made her sets of kunai and shuriken with the black metal.

There was now a fourth girl in the staring contests, much to Naruto's chagrin.

During the academy, Naruto was an average student. It was through no fault of his own, despite the rumors. Even after he talked to the Hokage about teachers sabotaging his work, and the subsequent firing of said teachers, the rest grew to resent Naruto, and so the cycle continued.

Some blame lay with Alduin, who insisted on teaching and training him long into the night, leaving him tired and sore for the next day.

The class he learned in was divided in opinions when it came to young Dragon. A good many of the civilian-born ninja-in-training found his eyes, tattoos and tendency to grumble in a strange, guttural language disturbing, and therefore avoided him as best they could.

The clan-born ninja had very little problem with him, as he was simply another ninja, like them. However, one Kiba Inuzuka seemed very put-out over his preferred company, namely the many female clan-born students and one civilian-born.

This was not exactly a problem for Naruto. The ladies and Shino, while quiet and seemed to get too close for his comfort on occasion, were just perfect to hang out with, and they treated him like any other kid, partaking in childish games and playful teasing.

Tenten graduated a year before the new class, joining a genin team with a Hyuuga named Nejiko, Hinata and Hanabi's cousin from their uncle, Hizashi, and Rock Lee under the Jonin Might Gai. Naruto remained friends with Tenten, and even made more with her team, training and sparring together when they weren't on a mission; sometimes working in the forge and helping Tenten run the store when she was available.

…

Naruto awoke the day of graduation with a tingling sense of excitement and determination in his mind, quickly throwing on his ensemble of black-colored clothing, as such as a way for him to pay respect to his father-figure and teacher, Alduin. He called out a goodbye to a cleaning Mikoto and left his building, ready to join the ninja population.

…

The door to the classroom slid open, and the familiar face of Naruto entered, his cerulean/red eyes glanced around the room, searching for his friends. Spotting Suki, Hinata and Hanabi sitting together near the back, Naruto smiled and made his way over to them.

Kiba Inuzuka, feral-looking boy with a dog on his head, snarled at Naruto and cut him off. "What do you think you're doing, jackass? I would've thought you'd be home, cowering under your bed!"

Naruto sighed, his lips turning down into a scowl. "Kiba, this macho posturing was all well and good when we were kids, but we're on the precipice of becoming fully-fledged ninja for our village. What would your mother think?"

Kiba growled leaned forward until they were nearly face-to-face. "I don't care! You strut around the village, all full of yourself, it pisses me off! And stop bringing my mother into this!"

"You need to grow up, Kiba. And I bring her up because she seems to be the only one who can get through to you." Naruto pushed Kiba away and continued walking towards his friends. Kiba growled and sat down with his arms crossed, infuriated by the blond's countenance.

"Hey, girls!"

The three heiresses looked up and greeted the jinchuriki happily. "Good morning, Naruto-kun. Are you ready for the test?" Hinata asked with a gentle smile.

Naruto scoffed slightly. "All we have to do is Henge, Kawarimi and a Bunshin. That's something most of us could do in our sleep."

Any further conversation was cut off by the appearance of Iruka and Mizuki, the two chunin instructors.

"Alright class, settle down!" Iruka called out, taking his place at the stand. "I know you're all excited about taking the genin test, so settle down and we'll begin shortly."

Mizuki quickly passed out papers along the rows and then came back to the front, carefully watching the students. Iruka started a timer and set it on his desk, announcing, "Begin!"

An hour later, the timer went off, and the chunin collected the booklets.

"Everyone, it's time to head outside for the practical examination!" Iruka led the way down to the target range, where three humanoid targets sat at different ranges, bull's-eyes painted on vital areas.

The test went by rather quickly, as shuriken were designed for quick strikes. Most students scored well above average. When it was Naruto's turn, he threw his kunai and shuriken, getting eight out of eight for both. Before Iruka could call them over to the sparring arena, Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes, Naruto?"

The blonde lowered his hand. "Is it possible to receive extra credit for demonstrating use of other weaponry?"

Iruka tapped his chin in thought, then nodded. "Yes, it's possible. What are you going to use, senbon?"

Naruto smiled mischievously. "No. A bow, actually."

Kiba, somewhere in the background, scoffed. "A bow? Really? What are you, a samurai?"

Iruka glared at Kiba, but shook his head. "As Kiba so kindly pointed out, bows aren't exactly shinobi weapons."

The blonde pulled a scroll from his belt and unfurled it; with a puff of smoke, a silvery- black curved bow with swirls on it appeared in his hands, as well as a quiver stocked full of arrows. He slung the quiver over his shoulder and readied the bow.

"Sensei, if you would, please throw a shuriken in front of the target please." He asked politely.

Iruka shrugged and flicked a throwing star across the target.

Quickly, Naruto knocked an arrow to the bow and pulled the string back before releasing, with the arrow hitting the bottom of the shuriken, sending it flipping into the air. The blond quickly pulled three more arrows from his quiver and set them against the string as the shuriken fell down. He released, and the three arrows pinned the shuriken to the target's head, one through the center, the others on the top and bottom respectively.

Naruto lowered the bow and smiled innocently at the scarred chunin. "Good enough?"

Iruka seemed to be struck silent, if the slightly gaping mouth was any indication.

Mizuki blinked before shaking it off and stepped forward, pulling three more stars from his pouch. "Not bad Naruto. Let's see you do it some more."

He threw the shuriken at varying speeds and heights, only for the black tipped arrows to pin them to the targets, all in lethal spots.

Mizuki nodded. "Okay! Well, I think some extra credit is deserved, right Iruka?"

Iruka blinked. "Y-yeah…"

They moved onto the next segment of the test, taijutsu spars. The chunin would call a genin from the list, then observed as they challenged and fought a student of their choosing, grading both them on their performance.

When it came to Kiba Inuzuka, he, predictably, called Naruto as his challenge.

Facing each other at the opposite ends of the ring, Kiba fell into his family's stance, snarling. "You should just quit, dead-last! I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back!"

Naruto arched an eyebrow at the Inuzuka, and said, "Again, with the 'dead-last'? When are you going to realize that I outrank you in class?"

Kiba shouted, "Shut up! Stop acting so damn cool, you bastard!"

The blonde arched the other eyebrow at Kiba. "I'm not acting cool, Kiba, I just don't find your rivalry with me worth my time. There are more important things than you disliking me to concern myself with."

The Inuzuka snorted. "And there you go again! Stop ignoring me!"

Naruto's eyebrows fell into a glare, and he scowled. "I'm ignoring you because you're being an idiot! I don't know what I did to piss you off, but I've had enough of it!"

Kiba's eyes widened at the angry tone, suddenly worried that he had pushed the tattooed blond too far.

Naruto had been trained in eight different fighting styles since he could throw a punch, all from the time of the eight races. His favorite, and the style he was most experienced with was Orsinium Love-Taps, which naturally included breaking every bone in a enemy's body and turning them into a pile of red jelly with their bare hands and feet.

His next favorites were the Elsweyr Ballroom and Bosmer Nerve-Jab, both lighter and less damaging. The Ballroom style involved kicking the shit out of and enemy with rapid spins, looking similar to break-dancing, while Nerve-Jab was thought to be a predecessor to the Jyuuken used by the Hyuuga.

Now, Naruto was not a big, burly Orc. His muscles were wiry and lean, meant more for agility and acrobatics, which suited the blonde just fine. But, hidden underneath Naruto's lean frame, was a strength that would have surprised Might Gai. And he was willing to break it out in this spar, just to knock some sense into his 'rival'.

Deciding to end this bout quickly, possibly feeling the violent intent in the air, Kiba darted forward, nails out to swipe at Naruto in an animalistic fashion. The blonde reacted swiftly, blocking the swipe with a forearm then twisting his arm around Kiba's and pulling forward sharply, head-butting the Inuzuka's nose.

The snap of cartilage and the howl of pain made Naruto smile grimly, before he twisted the arm behind Kiba's back and pushed, sending Kiba stumbling as he clutched his nose. Naruto didn't let him recover; he kicked the back of Kiba's knee, rolled over his back and wrapped his arm around the other male's throat before tossing him out of the ring.

Kiba hit the ground and bounced, rolling to a stop on the verge of becoming unconscious.

Several eyebrows rose at the beating that had been unleashed upon the Inuzuka, who was definitely not the worst when it came to hand-to-hand, with the top spots taken by Suki, Hinata and Naruto, respectively. The surprise was more for how quick the fight had been.

After the last round of fighting, which was between the friendly rivals Haruno Sakura and Ino Yamanaka, they all headed inside to take the last test.

The test consisted of demonstrating three jutsu, known as 'The Academy Three', and the techniques had been drilled into their heads by the instructors over and over again. It was no surprise when most passed with relatively high scores.

Iruka congratulated the class of graduating genin, telling them to meet back in the same room in a day for team assignments.

As the freshly-minted and newly-adorned genin exited the classroom, Naruto, the Hyuuga twins and Suki walked over to were Hiashi Hyuuga, Hinata and Hanabi's father, as well as Mikoto waited, proud smiles on their faces.

"Suki-chan, Naruto-kun!" The older woman rushed over to the two, embracing them in a tight and loving hug. "You guys are one step closer to your dreams! Oh, I'm so excited!"

Suki blushed in embarrassment at the open show of affection, while Naruto laughed and hugged the woman back.

Hiashi stepped forward and laid his hands on both of his daughter's shoulders, a small but proud smile on his face. "Hinata-chan, Hanabi-chan…I am very proud of you two. As a graduation gift, I will teach you both the Kaiten whenever you wish."

Hizashi slapped his twin on the back. "Don't be such a stick in the mud, bro!" He turned to the group of genin with a wide grin. "We're having a party in the Hyuuga Compound to celebrate, and all of your friends are invited as well!"

The Hyuuga had definitely come pretty far when it came to the remaining Uchiha. Seven years ago, they would have rather committed seppuku than invite them into their compound. But now, since Suki and Mikoto were the last of the Uchiha, and not pricks or arrogant, the Hyuuga enjoyed having them around.

…

The party was in full swing when Naruto spotted a girl about a year older then himself, with long brown tresses, pale white eyes and a Konoha headband around her forehead, sitting at a table by herself, sipping from a cup of tea.

He approached the table and sat by her, a smile on his face. "Hey, Nejiko-chan. How come you're not enjoying the party?"

Nejiko Hyuuga, cousin to the Hyuuga twins and Hizashi's daughter, smiled softly at Naruto.

"I am not one to enjoy parties, Naruto-kun, you know that. It's all very boring to me." She sighed heavily and finished off her tea. "I would much rather be out on a mission, or training, or something productive."

The blonde jinchuriki glanced around, and finding that no one was watching them, stood up and grabbed Nejiko's hand. She gave him a confused look as he pulled her to her feet, pulled her to the door, and, taking one last glance around, took her out of party.

"Where are we going?" She asked calmly as he dragged her through the halls of the Hyuuga compound. As she voced her question, Nejiko recognized the hallway as the way to the training rooms.

Naruto pushed the door open and stopped just inside the room, gazing around the empty training hall. He reached out and flicked a light switch, bathing the area in dim light.

"Why are we here, Naruto-kun?" She asked, an inkling of his intent in her mind.

"Well, you said that you would rather be training, so here we are!" Naruto replied cheerfully, gesturing to the room. He turned his bright smile on Nejiko, who blushed lightly. "Why don't we spar? You won't be bored any longer."

She smirked slightly, challenge glimmering in her eyes. "You know very well that I'm a prodigy of the Jyuuken, Naruto-kun. Are you sure that you want to face me?"

Naruto dropped her hand and, still smiling but with an edge to it, backed away about ten paces before falling into a low ready stance, bouncing lightly on his feet.

"I'm always ready, Nejiko-chan. Come on, or is Fate telling you that I'm ordained to win?" He beckoned with his right hand, amusement in his tone.

Nejiko's smirk grew into a challenging smile and she darted forward suddenly, Byakugan flared.

…

Hizashi slowly walked through the halls of his compound, looking for his daughter. He had meant to talk to her when she first showed up to the party, but he was distracted by Inochi Yamanaka telling a tale about his latest case in the T&I Division.

He peered into every room he passed, quietly calling her name, until a distant yell drew his attention. He jogged down the halls, arriving at the door to a training room, where the noise was emanating from, and slid it open a fraction to peek inside.

Naruto and Nejiko rolled around on the floor, their serious spar having devolved into wrestling for dominance, laughing the entire time.

They rolled to a stop, Nejiko on top, straddling his waist, both of them panting heavily, sweating and smiling. They peered deeply into each other's eyes, white into blue-red. The smiles fell and slowly, she lowered her face closer to Naruto's. Their lips touched tentatively, and they separated, eyes wide.

Then, Nejiko darted forward and slammed her lips onto his, her hands going around his neck and threading through his hair, while his hands went to her hips.

Hizashi smiled slightly at the sight, before sliding the door closed quietly. He snuck away, leaving his daughter and her crush alone. He could embarrass them later, as was his right as the father.

He just hoped that Hiashi didn't catch wind of it until Hizashi could make fun of him.

…

...

...

*Nahlot, in this case, is used as "Be Silent!", and literally means "Silenced" in Dragon Tongue.

**A/N: Well, as you can see, I've gone back and updated and partially rewritten parts of this story as of April 22, 2015. I've added some more details in general and removed Kiba's womanizing personality, as I found that too cliché for me. I remember looking back on this opening chapter and being embarrassed by how my writing style was when I started this, and this helps with that.**

**Hopefully, you like it, and maybe returning fans can find some new enjoyment out of it.**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy.**

**Stay Awesome.**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: It's my intention to rewrite/update all of the chapters up to 11 and 12, and possibly them as well. I actually planned on scrapping the whole story and retrying, but I took a good look at it and found good parts weighed down by not-so-good parts. It just needs some polishing and TLC and I think it'll be good. Or better, at least.**

**It's also my intention to tell people about the update after the next chapter drops, so, hello, future viewers! I've been waiting for you!**

**Stay Awesome Some More.**

**~still Soleneus.**


	2. The Kumo Connection

Chapter 2: The Results of Interference

The sounds of someone snickering woke Naruto from his slumber. His eyes snapped open, then shut just as quickly. Sunlight poked him in the retinas, and he groaned, rolling over and burying his face into his silky soft pillow. His pillow proceeded to gasp, and scare the hell out of him.

Naruto's eyes flew open and fixed upon the white eyes of Nejiko Hyuuga, who was blushing heavily. His eyes flickered down to his arms, which were wrapped around her waist, their bodies pressed close together, practically nose-to-nose. Instead of jumping away and apologizing, Naruto grinned mischievously, and whispered, "Good morning, beautiful. Did you miss me?"

He proceeded to slide a hand down to her backside and gave one of her cheeks a small squeeze.

Unlike the aloof front Nejiko put up in front of other people, she squeaked, and if possible, flushed even brighter red. Naruto grinned and leaned forward, placing a light kiss against her lips. He moved to deepen it, but froze when he heard someone clear their throat from behind him.

His eyes were wide, and he whispered, "I didn't just squeeze your ass in front of your father, did I?"

"I'm not her father, though I think that Hizashi would most likely laugh at you, instead of kill you."

Naruto rolled over and looked up, his eyes landing on a Tiger ANBU mask. The man's posture denoted that he was vainly trying not to laugh.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage-sama requests your presence at his office." The blonde container stood and brushed himself off, then helped Nejiko to her feet.

Tora gripped Naruto's shoulder, and they vanished in a whirlwind of leaves.

Nejiko blushed and touched her lips softly, a smile present. Then, she pumped her fist in the air and shouted, "Yes! I got him first!"

"I see you enjoyed yourself."

Nejiko spun around at the male voice behind her, simultaneously jumping. She spotted Hizashi standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He quirked an eyebrow. "So, when can I expect a grand-child?"

The Hyuuga prodigy turned bright red in anger and embarrassment, and her shout roused the entire compound.

"DAD!"

…

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed around his pipe, and looked over the paper in front of him. If he was right, he could very well destroy the relationships Naruto had built up with the girls in his life.

The spike of chakra and the air picking up alerted the Sandaime to an imminent shunshin, and he pulled deep on his pipe.

Naruto and Tora appeared in the middle of the room, the blonde still blinking sleep from his eyes.

"That is all Tora, you may go." The Sandaime dismissed the ANBU, who bowed and vanished.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and blinked, then smile at the old man. "Hey jiji, what did you want to see me for?"

The Sandaime motioned for Naruto to take a seat, and began to explain.

"Naruto, I'm afraid that I have some bad news." The blonde sat up in his chair, worry on his features.

"Do you remember the time you saved Hinata from the Kumo ambassador?" At Naruto's nod, he continued. "Well, we demanded that Kumo compensate us for the attempt, and they sent over this, just recently."

He slid the paper across his desk to Naruto, who picked it up and began to read it. With every passing moment, his eyes became wider and wider, until they seemed ready to pop out of his head. He looked at the Sandaime incredulously. "Is this-?"

"I'm afraid so."

Naruto was stunned. "But…how?"

The Sandaime began his explanation. "The Raikage responsible for ordering the kidnapping was deposed shortly after the failed attempt, and the Yondaime Raikage drew this up as compensation. He figured that we would need stronger ties to each other's villages, and so, he volunteered his adoptive daughters for it. Any other person would be the wrong choice, either too young or too old, and only you are the right age. So…"

Naruto slumped in his seat. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It is either this, or war."

The blonde sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What am I going to tell the others?" He mumbled to himself.

The Sandaime gave Naruto a sharp glance. "There is always what we talked about earlier."

Naruto stood. "Alright. When do I go to retrieve them?"

"Right now. Naruto Uzumaki, as your first mission as a genin of Konohagakure, you are to travel to Kumo and retrieve Nii Yugito and Nii Samui, and then return here. Yuugao will be your jonin accomplice for this trip."

The door slid open, and a woman with purple hair that hung down her back and a katana on her hip entered.

"Hello, Uzumaki-san. You have an hour to prepare for the journey. Pack for a C-rank mission." She spoke softly.

Naruto nodded an affirmative. "Hai, Neko-chan."

Yuugao stiffened in surprise as Naruto leapt out of the window. She turned a questioning gaze on the Hokage. "How did he know?"

The Sandaime shrugged. "Your hair is memorable, I guess."

…

The bell above the door rung, and Tenten stood at attention as Naruto entered the shop. "Hey, Naruto-kun! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting a team right now?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess not. The Hokage has me going to Kumo for a pick-up, and I need a full C-rank equipment kit."

Tenten moved around the shop, gathering the scrolls. "Wow, a C-rank already? What's it for?"

Naruto slumped, defeated. "I'm retrieving two genin Kunoichi from Kumo, who are being married to a Konoha shinobi to keep the peace."

Tenten's buns quivered in anger. "What? How could the Raikage trade someone's life like that? And how do you know that they are getting married? Isn't that supposed to be between the two who are being…"

A look of horror and understanding dawned on her face. "No…"

Naruto nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes."

Her chocolate brown eyes filled with tears. She jumped over the counter and hugged Naruto tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. "Oh, Naruto…"

"I know, Ten-chan, I know. But I don't have a choice in the matter."

She pulled her face from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I know you don't, but that still doesn't mean I have to like it, Naruto-kun…you promised…"

The blonde just hugged her tightly.

…

Naruto arrived at the North Gate, where Yuugao was already waiting, hand lazily upon her katana.

"Are you ready?" She asked in her soft voice.

The blonde simply nodded, and followed her as she jumped into the nearest tree. "So…how's your brother?"

Yuugao smiled slightly, turning over her shoulder to shoot a sad glance at Naruto. "Hayate-kun is fine, but his sickness is getting worse. I fear that he may not have much time left." A single tear rolled down her cheek, before she wiped it away.

"I'm sorry for that. He's a good man, and can still kick my ass in kenjutsu, no matter how sick he gets." The last part was received with a smile, before they fell into silence and continued their way to Kanimari no Kuni.

…

Six figures could be seen, standing in the front gates of Kumogakure.

One was a very large, muscular man, wearing the yellow robes of the Raikage. Another was a man wearing several swords, sunglasses, and a white bandanna on his head. The last male had white hair, an anxious expression on his face, and lollipop in his mouth. The three females all looked rather pissed off. The first had bright red hair covered by a bandanna, gold irises, and a longsword sheathed on her back. The next was a white-skinned woman, with pale blue eyes and blonde hair; a frosty expression on her face that was tinged with anger. A very short sword, more like a dagger, rest on her back. The final female had tanner skin, blue, slitted eyes, long hair in a bandaged ponytail, and feline features.

In order of appearance: A, the Yondaime Raikage of Kumo; Killer Bee, jonin and jinchuriki of the Eight Tailed Ox-Cephalopod; Omoi, genin of Kumo and Killer Bee's student; Karui, also genin and student; Nii Samui, genin of Kumo and former student of Killer Bee and adopted daughter of A; Nii Yugito, chunin-level genin and jinchuriki of the Two-Tailed Hellcat, and former student of Killer Bee and sister to Samui and daughter to A.

A had explained the situation to Samui and Yugito, but they didn't take it well. At all. That was a week ago, and they were still pissed off. Killer Bee actually didn't rap, as he was sad that two of his students would be sent to Konoha. Karui was filled with female fury, and made it known vocally and loudly. Omoi went through twice as many suckers as usual.

"How many times to I have to apologize?" A asked pleadingly.

Yugito growled and narrowed her eyes. "I don't want apologies, I want this thing called off!"

Samui agreed with a simple muttering of, "This is so uncool."

A sighed in frustration. "I can't call it off! Konoha would take it as an insult and an act of war! While I believe that we could take them, if word gets out of Kumo's attempt, we will lose credibility and money."

Samui's ice-cold eyes flashed frostily. "So money is more important than shinobi, _Raikage-sama_?"

A flinched, and made to reply, when he sensed two large chakra signatures coming towards them. He tensed and narrowed his eyes at the two shadows that were gaining on their location.

When they came fully into view, he relaxed, recognizing the armor of the ANBU.

Samui and Yugito looked over the Konoha shinobi with raised eyebrows.

The first wore Konoha's regular issued ANBU armor, with purple hair and a katana strapped to her back.

The second was the strange one. He wore black shinobi sandals, black ANBU pants with red stripes running up the legs; A black vest with strange red runes on it, with a high collar; underneath, a dark red tee shirt. Strapped to his back was a long blade, about the size of a katana, and strangely a bow and quiver. A dagger was sheathed at his hip.

His attire was not what drew their attention. It was his face. A spiky mop of blonde hair stuck out on his head. Two thick, curved lines ran over his eyes and down his face, narrowing to points above his lips. Two more lines ran across his cheeks, curving downward and narrowing into points above his lips, giving him the appearance of fangs on his lip.

The irises of his eyes were cerulean blue, bright and warm like an ocean. The pupil was reddish-orange, fierce and malevolent, contrasting with his irises. The lines on his face were black or deep red, making his eyes seem to glow slightly.

It unnerved the hell out of the Kumo-nin.

Stopping in front of them, Yuugao and Naruto bowed in respect to a village leader. "Raikage-sama, jonin Yuugao Uzuki and genin Naruto Uzumaki reporting."

A sighed, knowing that his time with his adopted daughters was up. He turned to them, but they just brushed past, sour looks on their faces.

Killer Bee broke the silence by reaching out and hugging Samui and Yugito. "Be good, my students. Maybe we'll meet again in the future."

They separated, and Karui ran forward and squeezed the life out of them. "This is total bullshit…I'm sorry that I couldn't do more."

Omoi just shook hands with them, whispering his goodbyes.

Samui and Yugito both bowed to the Raikage, and turned around, already walking. Naruto and Yuugao bowed again, and then caught up to the two genin, then they sprinted off.

A ran a hand over his face. "I hope you can forgive me, my daughters." He mumbled to himself.

…

Naruto, Samui, Yugito and Yuugao made good time, sprinting across Kanimari no Kuni. By the time night fell, they were more than halfway there.

Stopping in a cave that was devoid of wildlife, they set up camp.

Naruto gathered firewood, while the women set out the sleeping bags and the rations. Samui and Yugito sat next to each other after they were done, and watched as Naruto piled up the wood. Suddenly, his hand became wreathed in flames, and he grabbed a piece of wood, lighting it on fire. Using his hand, he lit the campfire, before the flames around his arm died out.

Yugito quirked an eyebrow in surprise. She was the only one she knew who could control fire to that degree.

They cooked their rations and ate them in silence, before Yugito said that she would take first watch. The Nibi jinchuriki sat in the mouth of the cave, gazing at the stars while the others slept. Or so she thought.

Naruto walked up and sat besides her, taking in the view. They simply sat in silence, before Naruto spoke.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Yugito glanced at him, but answered anyway. "Yeah."

"Sometimes, I gaze up at the stars at night, and wish that I was someone else, you know? At least, someone who could deal with all the crap I've had to go through."

"Hmhmm."

Naruto turned and took in Yugito's moonlit profile. "You know, I wouldn't mind getting married, at some point in my life. But not when I'm thirteen!"

Yugito gave Naruto a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You know about the marriage contract between you and the Kyuubi jinchuriki, right?" At her affirmative, Naruto stuck his hand out with a sardonic grin. "Hi, Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konohagakure and container of the Kyuubi no Yoko."

The blonde patted himself on the back at Yugito's surprised expression. "You're the one me and Samui will be marrying?"

Naruto nodded an affirmative. The other blonde narrowed her eyes on Naruto in fury.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

She almost growled. "Why did you take the contract? Why did you take away our freedom?"

Naruto scowled. "I didn't want to. I was forced to sign the damn thing in the name of keeping the peace!"

"You could have done something! Instead, you took the low road and stole our choices!" Yugito shouted quietly.

"Done something? What could I have done? It was an order from the Hokage, I can't just say, 'Nah, find someone else, I'm busy.'" Naruto spat sarcastically. "Do you think I wanted this? I sure as hell didn't! I have a girl back home that I love, and who I promised to marry! But now, I'll have to reveal my bloodline, just so I can be with her! I didn't want that!"

Yugito was taken aback by that. "What?"

Naruto scowled at the stars. "In my village, there's something called the CRA, the Clan Restoration Act, or in my case, CCA, Clan Creation Act. It makes it so that a wielder of a bloodline has to marry multiple women in order to make the clan grow."

"And why didn't you want this?"

The blonde glared balefully at Yugito. "I know for a fact that there are several girls who love me in Konoha. However, I didn't want some kind of…_Harem_, I wanted to marry a girl who loved me!"

Naruto sighed. "Now I have no choice. I suppose that the other girls will be happy…"

They fell into an awkward silence, that Yugito finally broke after ten minutes.

"I'm sorry…" She started in a subdued voice. "I'm sorry that I blamed you for all of this. I know that you didn't want to do this, but I'm just so…angry! I thought my tou-san cared for me and Samui, but without even asking, he puts us up on the contract."

Naruto shook his head. "That must be tough. I would hate to have my free will taken away like that, especially by a father figure."

Sniffling reached his ears, and Naruto turned to see tears making tracks down her cheeks. He sat up and put a hand on her shoulder, making the other blonde look at him.

"I know that we both don't like this, Yugito, but as much as we despise the circumstances, I don't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage."

Yugito tilted her head in a confused manner. "What do you mean?"

Naruto smiled slightly. "I mean that I would like to get to know you, Yugito. Maybe, just maybe, we can make this situation work for us." His smile became wider. "I happen to know this little restaurant that makes the best sushi in Fire Country."

Yugito reached up and laid her hand over his. "I'd like that."

Unknown to both of them, Samui heard the entire thing.

…

The next day, they packed up their camping supplies, buried the fire and began running again.

The group reached the border of Kaminari no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, jumping into the trees to increase speed. As they traveled, Naruto told Yugito and Samui about the best places to eat in the village, as well as the tourist attractions.

Naruto froze as he landed on a tree branch. The women in the group stopped next to him questioning looks on their faces. He put a finger to his lips and pointed at his ears.

The girls all listened carefully, sending chakra to their ears.

Footsteps were muffled by the grass, but the boisterous talking of a column of bandits drew their attention.

The leader of the column, a burly man with a scraggly beard, had a tied up woman over his shoulder. Turning to the bandits, he shouted, "Come on, boys! Leader-sama wants us back by midnight! With the loot we got, we will be able to rest easy for weeks!"

The bandits cheered.

"Yuugao-san, what do we do?" Yugito asked quietly.

The purple-haired jonin, rested her hand on her katana, and drew it out slowly. "We will kill the ones with hostages first, quietly. Then, we will take the rest out, but leave one alive for interrogation."

Naruto nodded and drew his dagger from it's sheath. He jumped down from the tree, into the bushes next to the path that the bandits were taking. Once they all passed, Naruto dived out of the bush, rolled and came up behind a thug carrying an unconscious woman. He slammed his hand over the thug's mouth, using the dagger to slit his throat.

Two shurikens whistled through the air, striking two hostage-carrying thugs in the back of their heads.

A kunai lanced into a thug's throat, and he gurgled and collapsed.

A bandit's eye's wandered over a bush, catching on a hilt sticking out of the bottom of it. He wandered over and bent to pick it up, when a hand flew out of the bush, clamped around his mouth and pulled him into the foliage.

Naruto, now in the trees, smirked. "Time to bring the noise."

His hands became wreathed in flames. Curling them into fists, the fire gathered into a small ball.

A sharp whistling drew the attention of the thugs, who all looked up. A small ball of fire flew straight into the middle of the group, and detonated with the force of three explosive tags.

Shell-shocked by the explosion, the leader of the bandits dropped the woman he was carrying and clutched his ears. A woman dropped in front of him and struck him across the temple with the blunt side of a katana.

Naruto, with his ebony sword drawn, Samui with her dagger-sword and Yugito with a pair of gloves that had metal claws in the fingers, dashed into the group. The blonde slashed and spun, cleaving a bandit in half and deflecting a katana coming his way. Samui, with her smaller weapon and greater speed, struck swiftly, weaving slashes and stabs through the guards of the bandits. Yugito channeled youki to her claws, which lit with dark blue fire. She dodged and spun, leaving several gashes across the chest of two bandits, who screamed in agony as they were consumed by blue fire.

Naruto flipped over a charging thug and slashed him across the back, severing the man's spine.

They mopped up the rest of the bandits, before piling the bodies up and lighting them on fire with a Katon jutsu. Yuugao tied up the leader, and proceeded to torture him for information. After she threatened to cut off what made him a man, he sang like bird.

Apparently, the leader of the group of bandits, whom he was a part of, was an Iwa missing-nin named Tsukai Kanare, also known as the Cataclysm, in part of his Katon and Doton affinities.

The former ANBU then cut off the man's head and burned his body. She sheathed her katana and turned to the trio of genin. "So, what do you want to do? Would you like to destroy a bandit camp, or continue on our journey back to Konoha?"

Samui stepped forward immediately. "The answer is obvious. We should take out those bandits before they can do more harm."

Naruto and Yugito agreed heartily, and Yuugao smiled slightly.

"Good, that's what I expected. The camp is north of our position, about a mile. Move out!"

They dashed into the trees, heading for the camp, and hopefully, freedom for the captives.

…

Naruto climbed his way to the top of a pine, steadying himself against the trunk. He unsealed his ebony bow and arrows, attaching the quiver to his back. A light shined across his face, and he looked down, spotting Yuugao and the Nii sisters. He nodded down to them, before whispering two words to himself.

The night became lightened to him, and his vision became sharper. Spotting the two sentries at the gate to the camp, he pulled an arrow from the quiver, knocked it to the string, and pulled back.

Taking a deep breath, the world seemed to slow. Focusing the tip of the arrow right above the first sentry's head, and let fly; quickly pulling another arrow, drawing the bow and releasing it above the other sentry's head.

Down below, the women's sharp ears picked up the sound of whistling. That being the agreed upon signal, they drew their personal weapons and sprinted silently towards the camp's wall. As they approached, an arrow impacted into one of the sentry's head, flinging him back into the compound. Before the other could make a noise, another arrow sprouted from his neck, and he fell without a sound.

The women sent chakra to their legs and jumped, hurtling over the wall and landing silently. Yuugao nodded to Samui and Yugito, who split off to take their quadrants of the camp.

Naruto, up in his tree, drew a special arrow that was fletched with a timed exploding tag. Drawing the bow to half-tension, he whispered to himself, "Shadow Arrow Clone Jutsu." And released.

The arrow multiplied into an entire volley, all with the tag burning.

A random bandit stepped out of his tent to relieve himself. Looking up into the sky, he spotted what seemed like the entire starry night sky falling down.

The bandit blinked and tilted his head as the stars seemed to come closer. Realizing the danger, he opened his mouth to shout, when the arrows slammed into the earth, pinning the bandit to the ground, and ripping through the tents, killing the ones inside silently.

Yugito shot a couple of senbon from her clawed gauntlets, striking the bandits in their throats. She crept around her quadrant, slitting the throats of the sleeping thugs.

Yugito used her ANBU training to stealth around a circle of tents, her hand on the handle of her katana. Three laughing bandits stood over a tied up woman, who was sobbing silently. Two of the thugs faced away from Yuugao's position, as she pulled a duo of shuriken from her pouch.

The bandits were unprepared as whistling split the air, a shuriken embedding itself into the back of one of the thug's head. A split second later, another metal star struck another bandit in the forehead. The last was unaware as Yuugao shimmered into existence behind him, silently pulling her katana from it's sheath. With one smooth downward swing, she cleaved him in half from shoulder to hip.

Untying the woman swiftly, Yuugao nearly jumped out of her skin when a scream split the air, only to be silenced a second later.

Samui sprinted away from the group of bandits behind her, cursing in her thoughts. _This is so uncool._ She had been sneaking around inside a thug's tent, when the bandit woke up, saw a shadowed figure with a weapon drawn, and screamed. Samui had gotten the satisfaction of planting her sword in his head, but it was too late. The scream had alerted another sentry, who rang the alarm.

The busty blonde sent a trickle of chakra to her legs, weaving through the field of arrows.

Naruto cursed. That wasn't part of the plan. Looking up, an idea struck him, and he began to climb to the top of the tree, his weight making it bend. Swinging back and forth, Naruto made the tree top swing close enough to a neighboring tree to anchor himself with chakra to the bark. He pulled down on the top of the tree, walking down the other, until his muscles started to strain.

With a quick prayer to Akatosh to survive his flight, Naruto cut the flow of chakra to his legs.

With an almighty _TWANG!_ Naruto was flung from the tree with great force. The air rushed against his face, and he looked down as he flew towards Samui.

One of the bandits had gotten ahead of the rest of the group, and was closing in fast on Samui. With his current speed, he would be out of the field of explosive arrows in a short time.

"**TIID!"** Time slowed to a crawl as Naruto Shouted. Pulling a brace of shuriken from his pouch, he took aim and hurled them through the air. Time sped up and Naruto sailed over the other blonde.

The two shuriken cut through the air, impacting into the back of the lead bandit's ankles, cutting through his Achilles tendons. He hit the ground, and the rest of the group thundered past him.

Naruto melded his hands into the Ram handsign, and focused his chakra. "Katsu!"

_**BOOM!**_

The field of explosive arrows detonated with a massive explosion, vaporizing most of the bandits, and turning the rest into scorched mincemeat.

Samui ignored the smoking chunks of human meat that rained down around her, her thoughts and breathing totally calm. _Cool people don't look at explosions, and damn am I cool._

Naruto flipped to cut off his momentum, slamming into a thug's back, sending him skidding into the ground, face first, carving out a good sized trench. The blonde jinchuriki jumped off the thug, drawing his dagger in a reverse grip with his sword held out to the side.

Spinning and deflecting a spear, Naruto kicked the thug in the back of the knee and drove his dagger into the back of his head. He ripped the blade out and twisted to dodge another enemy, slashing his throat in the backswing.

Samui joined the fray with her short sword, the smaller blade easily evading the larger and slower weapons, darting through the bandit's guards and hitting vital points with precision.

Yugito couldn't really block with her claws, so she used her superior agility as a Kunoichi to dodge swings and slashes, and strike with her youki infused claws, consuming several bandits in the Nibi's azure fire.

The bandits stood no chance against the former ANBU Yuugao, who sliced through their weapons with her chakra conducting katana. She took the leg off of the last bandit, made a short hop, and decapitated him. She flicked the blood from her katana and sheathed it, peering around for any other enemies. Naruto, Samui and Yugito joined her, weapons ready.

The ground began to shake and rumble, and a large, opulent tent covered in decoration burst open as the largest, most muscled man they had ever seen, wielding a pair of large axes, seemingly chipped from large slabs of obsidian.

"So!" The large man shouted, "Iwa sends a group of genin to kill me? HA! I am Tetsuo, The Rockslide! I will not be defeated by mere children!"

Before they could explain, Tetsuo charged with a roar, swinging his axes wildly despite their weight.

"Scatter!" Yuugao shouted. The genin and jonin jumped to the side as the axes smashed into the ground, causing a plume of dirt to shoot in the air. His axes stuck in the ground, and the Konoha and former Kumo-nins dashed forward, slashing at his back.

Yugito's claws were ineffective, as they were designed to give slight cuts and inject the Nibi's youki into someone.

Samui's short sword glanced off the rock-hard skin of Tetsuo, leaving only a tiny indentation.

Yuugao's katana and Naruto's ebony sword did the most damage, leaving small cuts that barely bled.

The giant man ripped his axes from the ground and spun. The Konoha-nin ducked under the blade and rolled away, jumping back up into guarded stances.

"You like my bloodline?" Tetsuo crowed. "It allows me to use the iron in my blood to make my skin almost impervious to damage!"

The giant charged at Yuugao, who began to dodge the wild hacks. She managed to score small cuts on the big man, but they were infinitesimal, and did not slow him down at all. The former ANBU began to slow down, as the dodging was taking a lot out of her.

"Yugito!" Naruto called ducking under a slash from the obsidian axes, "Hit him with lightning! Metal is weak to it!"

Yugito and Samui nodded, flying through handsigns. "Raiton: Gian!"

Two large spears of lightning flew from their mouths and impacting onto Tetsuo, right as Naruto shouted, **"KRII!"**

Incandescent purple light burst from Naruto's mouth, wrapping around the giant Iwa-nin and sticking to his skin.

Tetsuo roared in pain as the two attacks slammed into him. Batting Yuugao aside with a backswing then lashing out with a foot and catching Naruto in the gut, he hefted one axe behind his back and hurled it at Samui.

Naruto hit the ground and rolled, looking up just in time to see the axe fly at the other blonde girl. "Shit! **WULD!**" With a crack like thunder, Naruto appeared in front of Samui, right arm raised in preparation for the axe to hit.

Naruto closed his eyes and turned his head, waiting for the searing pain of the axe carving through him.

Instead, his arm moved slightly, and the sound of rocks breaking reached his ears. Opening his eyes, he found the axe haft lying on the ground, the pieces of obsidian that made it up lying around it. He looked down at his arm and his eyes widened.

His finger nails had sharpened and hardened into black talons; dark gray scales ran up his arm, and a trio of black spikes shot up from his elbow. A red gem seemed to glow slightly on the center of the back of his hand.

Yuugao took advantage of Tetsuo's distraction, jumped forward from where she was standing, katana point first, and drove it up into the giant's eyes and out the back of his skull.

The man swayed on his feet, then fell slowly, making the ground shake when he hit the earth.

The former jonin flicked the blood from her katana and sheathed it. She turned a questioning glance on Naruto, as did Samui and Yugito.

"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" He asked rhetorically.

The women nodded.

…

An hour later, after they had piled all the bodies of the deceased bandits together and burned them, then ransacked the compound and set the slaves that they were holding free, Naruto found himself sitting across from the three women with the fire in between them.

"Now, Naruto-kun," Yuugao started, "What is the matter with your hand, and why did you hide it from everyone?"

Naruto sighed and ran said hand through his hair. "To tell you the truth, there is nothing wrong with my hand. In fact, it's a part of my bloodline."

Yugito interrupted with, "You've said you have a bloodline before, but you never said what it was."

The blonde jinchuriki gave her a dead-pan face, and said, "Well, if you let me finish, I'll tell you."

He exhaled softly, and began to tell them. "I call my bloodline 'The Dragon's Soul', and that's not me being cocky. The scales and talons are all based off of dragons. As far as I know, the transformation is gradual, and before it finishes, permanent. I call the physical part, such as my arm and eventually my whole body, 'Dragon's Body'."

"And there is another part to it?" Yuugao asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "Yup. I call it 'Dragon's Voice'. It allows me to shout, and have different effects happen, such as…" He tilted his head up, took a deep breath and Shouted, "**YOL!"**

A wide stream of fire burst from his mouth, bathing the clearing in red light. The women jumped back in fright. It's not everyday you see someone breath fire. Without handsigns, anyways.

Naruto closed his mouth, and the fire died out. He scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I should've given you some warning."

Samui gave Naruto a questioning look. "What else can you do with your voice?"

He shrugged. "Many things, but I have to find them out before I can tell you."

Yuugao's heart slowed from the frantic beat it had before, to it's norm. "Alright, I think that's enough excitement for one day. I'll take first watch, Yugito second, Samui and Naruto third and fourth."

They nodded and pulled out their sleeping bags, Yugito jumping into a tree to sleep undisturbed.

Samui rolled over in her bag, her icy blue eyes peering at Naruto, who turned to look at her with his own red-blue. "Can I help you with something, Samui-san?"

She hesitated, and spoke. "Thank you."

The other blonde quirked an eyebrow at her. "For what?"

"For saving my life." Samui smiled slightly. "That was really cool of you."

Naruto smiled and reached out, grasping her hand lightly. "You don't need to thank me, Samui-san. I would throw down my life for my teammates."

Samui gripped his hand slightly harder. "I insist. I owe you a debt, Naruto-san, and I will pay it off eventually."

The blonde guy thought for a second, then smiled at her. "I have an idea."

At her raised eyebrow, Naruto was quick to explain. "I mean, nothing bad, just a couple questions. Firstly, what's your favorite food?"

Samui thought for a second, then responded, "I enjoy Sukiyaki, as well as ice cream. They're my favorites."

Naruto nodded, smiling. He knew the best restaurant that served Sukiyaki, with an ice cream parlor not to far away.

"Alright, second question. Would you like to go on a date with me when we get back to Konoha?"

The blonde woman was surprised by this, and I showed on her beautiful face. "Really?"

The blonde jinchuriki nodded. "Of course. Why wouldn't I take a beautiful woman like you out for a night on the town?"

Samui blushed gently, and squeezed Naruto's hand. "I would like to go on date with you, Naruto. That would be really cool."

Naruto pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I look forward to getting to know you better, Samui."

Smiling at each other one last time, they fell asleep, still holding each other's hands.

…

**A/N: And that's that. Now, if you've played Skyrim, than you'll recognize the Shouts that Naruto has used. They are all spelt correctly, as I do research my shit. **

**Also, many of you may be like, "CRA? WTF dude? That's so cliché!"**

**My response is this:**

**So?**

**It's called a cliché because it's been used many times, and I can see where that could get tiring. But it also works. It makes some sense, and how else are you going to legally let a guy practice polygamy, huh? Step off my nuts, bro!**

**That being said, here's the Harem as it is so far:**

**Suki, Hinata Hanabi, Nejiko, Tenten, Yugito, Samui, and maybe others. **

**Who would you like to see in the harem?**

**And people who say, "You shouldn't do any more!" I will thank you for the review, then ignore your suggestion. **

**It's me, Soleneus!**

**Every story I've written has contained (Or will contain) a harem. Why?**

…**Good question. I don't rightly know.**

**PERVERTS UNITE!**

**Keep Being Awesome, and review!**

**-Soleneus**

**P.S. Thank you to all who have reviewed the first chapter! *Sniff* I'm so happy!**


	3. The Mission to Wave

Chapter 3: Daedra, Demons & Dragons…

The Great Gates of Konoha were always surprising to people who had never seen them before. You'd think that giant, forty-story tall wooden monoliths would garner some awe.

However, when Yugito and Samui saw the gates, they both paused, made a 'hmph' sound, and kept walking.

Yuugao and Naruto both shot each other a questioning glance, and simultaneously shrugged.

Making their way to the Hokage's Tower, Samui and Yugito noticed the odd looks they were being given, as well as the few normal ones of lust and envy. But what really caught their notice, was the glares Naruto was being hit with. It was that of hatred and indifference.

The sisters looked at each other with confused eyes.

"Yo!"

Naruto's call drew the women from their contemplation, and they found Naruto chatting with two girls. One wore a short red dress, with black biker shorts underneath. The oddest thing about her was her hair, which was light pink.

The other girl had her light blonde hair in a ponytail that reached the small of her back. She wore mostly purple, a tank top and a skirt, bandages wrapped around her stomach and white arm warmers around her forearms.

Both wore the headband of the leaf, denoting their statuses as ninja, the pink one around her hair, and the purple one around her waist as a belt.

"Hey, Long 'n' Blonde, Pretty in Pink. How are you guys?" Naruto asked cheerfully.

'Long 'n' Blonde' smiled brightly and replied, "Hi Naruto-kun! Sakura and I managed to pass our genin test, so we're doing good. What about you, though? All of us were worried when you didn't show up to the team assignments a week ago!"

The golden blonde smiled sadly. "Yeah…about that…"

'Pretty in Pink' tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong Naruto? I thought you would be on a team with Suki, or the twins for sure!"

Naruto waved the two former Kumo Kunoichi over, and introduced them. "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, meet my teammates, Samui and Yugito Nii."

The two younger girls looked over the older blondes, somewhat enviously. The older blondes looked on the Konoha Kunoichi with indifference.

The tension in the area started to rise past just awkward tension, going beyond 'Ex-girlfriend' to 'Girl-you-had-sex-with-then-forgot-to-call'. Seeing this, the only male left in the vicinity hurriedly grabbed Samui's and Yugito's hands, and began pulling them away.

"Gotta go, bye!" He called out, dragging the surprised women down the street. Ino and Sakura both watched with shocked looks on their faces. They gave each other grave looks, then walked off.

Hinata, Hanabi and Suki would need to know about this.

…

Naruto, Samui, Yugito and Yuugao arrived at the door to the Hokage's office, and Naruto dropped the women's hands. He rapped on the door three times, and entered as a rough voice called out, "Enter!"

Pushing open the door, Yuugao revealed to the two ex-Kumo-nin the leader of Konohagakure, the Kami no Shinobi, the Professor, one of the most feared ninjas of his day…

Smoking from a wooden pipe and signing papers.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork and smiled, seeing Naruto return. "Ah, Naruto-kun, Uzuki-chan, you're back, and in a timely manner! That's important for a shinobi." He stood from his chair and walked around the desk, coming before Yugito and Samui. He looked them over for a second, before bowing.

"And you must be the Nii sisters, Samui and Yugito?" He asked politely as they bowed in return.

Samui spoke for them. "Hai, Hokage-sama, we are Yugito and Samui Nii, former genin of Kumogakure."

The Sandaime smiled sadly. "Yes, I see. Welcome to Konohagakure. I have the forms for your shinobi licenses here on my desk, and I'll have a photographer come by later in the week to take your pictures. Is that reasonable?"

Samui and Yugito nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

The old man settled back in his chair and smiled. "Good. Now, Uzuki-chan, how did the retrieval go? There were no problems, I hope?"

Yuugao shook her head, and the Sandaime lifted an eyebrow. Seeing the questioning look being shot at her, she expounded.

The katana wielding jonin explained that they had come across several bandits with hostages, and the all the rest. The Sandaime took the scroll containing the head of Tetsuo, and nodded gravely.

"So, Uzuki-chan, what would you say about how your team preformed during this un-official mission?" He asked.

Yuugao thought for second, tapping her chin with a forefinger for a second. "Well, I'd say that their abilities are wasted on D-ranks, though they do need to learn how to work together. I'd still say that they should be doing mid-level C-ranks, or low B-ranks. That would work well with their skill set."

The Sandaime looked surprised, but thought over what he'd been told. Naruto had shown proficiency with his bow and bladed weapons, as well as his jutsu. Yugito and Samui had shown their ability to use higher-level lightning jutsu, which meant that they had higher chakra control and reserves. They had also shown skill with their weapons of choice, the tanto for Samui and claws for Yugito.

He nodded. "I agree with your assessment, Uzuki-chan. See to it that they are given several team-work exercises during your two weeks off from missions, as well as other training. That is all for now, you are dismissed. Wish Hayate-kun good luck for me, would you?"

Yuugao nodded and left in a shunshin of leaves, while Samui and Yugito looked to Naruto. The blonde jinchuriki began to leave with the two blonde women, when the Sandaime cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Naruto-kun, care to tell me why you have a Henge placed around your arm?" He asked with an amused look.

Naruto looked down at his human-looking arm, before molding his chakra, intoning, "Kai."

In a puff of smoke, the flesh of his arm disappeared, and in it's place was the thick black scales, talons and red gem of a dragon. The Sandaime's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"So, that is what you meant when you said your bloodline would manifest publicly?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. And as far as I know, it's permanent until I fully change, which, before that, the rest of my body will under go a similar transformation; scales, talons and the like."

The older male nodded. "Alright, my boy, just tell me if you need anything, okay?"

An evil smile crept across Naruto's face, and suddenly, the Sandaime wished he hadn't said that.

"Well, there is one thing you could do for me…"

…

The Sandaime sweated profusely as he entered the council chambers. On one side, there was the civilian council. Those who ran the hospital, the merchant's guild, and several other necessities to successfully run a village.

On the other side, sat the clan heads, the Akimichi, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Aburame, Uchiha (Which was only Mikoto), and a couple of minor clans such as the Kurama.

Sitting in between the civilian and shinobi sides in the middle of the room, in the back, sat the Elders, Shimura Danzo, and Homura and Koharu. The Hokage sat in the middle near the door, on a raised desk so that he towered over the others, as well as whoever was currently in the middle of the floor.

However, for all the power Hiruzen Sarutobi's station afforded, he was scared for his life, as if he was the one standing in the pit, and someone else, most likely the angry wives of Hiashi and Hizashi, as well as the others, would be the ones staring down at him from the desk, damning him to hell for what he was about to announce.

Misa Haruno, Sakura's mother and the head of a clan of merchants, looked up from her conversation to respectfully ask the Sandaime, "If we may know, Hokage-sama, what have you called this council meeting for?"

The aged Hokage sat in his chair heavily, dreading the coming moments. He sighed, and began.

"Council members, it has come to my attention that one of my shinobi is gifted with a bloodline."

The chamber was silent, with many raised eyebrows. The Sandaime licked his lips nervously, and continued.

"The shinobi in question is Naruto Uzumaki."

Now, there were concerned looks on all the faces of the council members. Some were worried about themselves, others were worried about Naruto, seeing as the Hokage spoke with a grave voice.

"I have called Naruto in today to show his bloodline, and see if he is deemed able to participate in the Clan Creation Act."

Now, the council was in an uproar. It was lead by Misa Haruno, Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuuga, Tsume Inuzuka, Mikoto Uchiha, and Tentechi Higurashi, one of the wealthier shinobi suppliers.

Misa, because she liked the boy. He had befriended her daughter and built up her confidence, while still being a nice and personable kid. Hiashi and Hizashi's reasons were simple. Their daughters were trying to get involved with Naruto (Or, in Nejiko's case, already were), and they liked him for what he does and had done for them.

Tsume Inuzuka was involved in the fracas because she didn't want to see a kid like Naruto, who was loyal and upstanding, get taken to the pound by a bunch of greedy bitches.

Mikoto saw Naruto as a younger friend (_and maybe something more,_ a small part of her mind whispered, which was rapidly squashed and ignored), who needed tender love and care, not smothering by a bunch of fanatical girls.

Tentechi Higurashi was pretty sure that Naruto was in love with his daughter (he knew for a fact that Tenten loved Naruto with a passion, and not just cause he stoked her forge, _if y'know what I'm sayin'_), and he was one hell of a forger. The kid brought him strange ores that he had never seen before, and was able to make them into weapons with ease! That was not the only reason, of course. There were many others, including the fact that he understood hard work and the like.

Danzo spoke up, his scratchy voice silencing the voices of the council. "If Uzumaki is able to showcase his bloodline, then I agree with Hokage-sama. He should be put under the CCA."

The Sandaime sighed, and motioned for an ANBU. One of the masked shinobi appeared kneeling by his side, and he whispered instructions in his ear.

The ANBU nodded and vanished, reappearing seconds later with Naruto Uzumaki in the center of the chamber.

Naruto looked around at the faces of the council, before bowing. "What can I do for you today?"

The Sandaime spoke up from his seat. "Naruto, we require a demonstration of your bloodline to determine whether or not you are eligible for the CCA."

The blonde nodded. "Alright. Do you mind if we adjourn to Training Ground 24 for the demonstration? Some of my abilities are…destructive."

The ninja half of the council stood and walked over to their civilian counterparts, before, in a massive group shunshin, they disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

At Training Ground 24, a large gust of wind blew through the trees, ruffling leaves and branches. Several shinobi appeared in the middle of the training ground, along with several modestly-dressed civilians.

Naruto stood before them, looking slightly nervous. The Sandaime motioned for him to go ahead, and he took a deep breath.

"My bloodline comes in several parts, not just one, like many others." He said, gaining looks of surprise from the council. "First, I have a talent for seal-less ninjutsu."

Turning to the five wooden posts set up at the far end o the ground, he focused, and his right hand became wreathed in flames. Curling his fingers into a loose fist, the fire around his arm gathered into his palm in a small orb. Throwing his arm out, the ball of fire sailed at the left-hand training post, hitting the wood and seeming to fizzle out.

The council seemed unimpressed, until…

_**Boom!**_

With a mighty boom, the wooden post was exploded into a million pieces, before being consumed by a massive fireball.

Now they were impressed. Somewhat.

Danzo spoke up. "While certainly impressive, I do not see why you should be given CCA status for just that."

Naruto didn't reply. Instead, his arm began to crackle with lightning, before he thrust his arm out, a bolt of lightning flying from his hand and striking the next post, leaving a deep scorch mark on it.

Next, his hand took on a frosty look, cold air trailing behind it. The frost gathered into his palm, before a spike of ice about two feet long hurled from his palm, impaling into the wooden post about halfway through.

Naruto decided that he wouldn't show the elemental runes. He needed some secrets after all.

"Those were my seal-less techniques. The next two parts are what my bloodline does to me."

Many mouths were agape at this, the thoughts, _There's more?!_ running through many minds.

Naruto placed his hands in the Ram sign, before saying, "Kai."

The Henge around his arm disappeared, revealing it's scaly glory to everyone. "I call this part of my bloodline, 'Dragon's Body'. As far as I know, I will gradually change until I am actually a dragon, with my body becoming more and more dragon-like over time. Until then, it is permanent, and I can only hide it under a Henge."

Hiashi blinked blankly. "And what's the other part?" He seemed almost afraid.

Naruto breathed deep and faced away from the clan heads and council.

"**YOL!"** A large steam of fire spewed from his mouth, scaring the hell out of the council. It died down as Naruto closed his mouth.

Turning back to face the council, Naruto spoke again. "I call that part, 'Dragon's Voice'. It allows me to… 'Shout', for the lack of a better word, and have different effects."

Danzo asked, "And what other effects can your voice have?"

Naruto shrugged. "Anywhere from fire breath to frost breath and anywhere in between." He made a shadow clone, and instructed it to stand a little ways away.

"**KRII!"** incandescent purple light shot from Naruto's mouth, slamming into the shadow clone and wrapping around it.

The clone's eyes widened in pain before it dispelled abruptly.

"That was a Shout that erodes the armor of an enemy, making them weaker and allowing for weapons to do more damage." Naruto said, shaking the memories of the clone off.

The councils, both civilian and shinobi, were left speechless. They would have been mentally impaired to not have such a bloodline in the village. Besides, who could say no to someone who could turn into a dragon?

Danzo stepped forward, raising his hand. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that Uzumaki-san is worthy for the CCA."

Both councils nodded mutely, still unable to comprehend the power that Naruto wielded. The Sandaime coughed into his hand, hiding a chuckle that threatened to come out. "Well then, it seems we are all in agreement. As of today, you, Naruto Uzumaki, are now under the CCA. There is no real limit to the number of wives you can have, but still, try to keep it decent. Council dismissed."

Naruto sighed as he reapplied the Henge to his arm. He had not wanted to do this, but with his betrothal to Samui and Yugito, he really had no choice.

Now, all he had to do was tell the Hyuuga twins and Suki about everything, and that was something he was not looking forward to.

"_**WHAT?!"**_

Maybe he wouldn't have to tell them.

…

_[Earlier that day…]_

Sakura and Ino mulled over the new gossip they had just discovered earlier today, and the effects it would have on their friends. Naruto's awkwardness had not gone unnoticed. They were ninja, for Kami's sake! They trained for this sort of thing!

The Kunoichi duo decided to search out Tenten, who they knew would know what was going on with Naruto, and those hot blondes he was hanging out with.

The two genin visited Higurashi's Weapon Shop (Weapons for Violent Occasions) and found it closed, with a note directing anyone looking for Tenten or her dad. Tenten was at training ground nine, while her father was at a council meeting.

They found the bun-haired girl hurling various weaponry (whether it was made for throwing or not) at a particularly brutalized wooden training post.

Also at the training ground, there were Tenten's teammates. Nejiko, her long brown hair lashing about wildly as she beat on Might Gai, her sensei, while a mini-clone of the man watched, while taking notes at a rapid pace.

Even though she had the white eyes of the Hyuuga clan, Ino and Sakura mistook her for someone else, as the eyes were not activated, and she was not using the Hyuuga Gentle Fist style of taijutsu. Instead, she was thrashing her jonin-sensei without restraint, in moves designed to relieve stress and break bones.

Tenten paused in her murdering of an inanimate object, wiping her brow of sweat. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the two new genin looking at her. Growling lowly, she spun and abruptly yelled, "What do you want?"

Sakura and Ino paused at the violence promised in Tenten's tone, but recovered admirably.

"We were wondering about Naruto. He's our friend, and we're worried about him." Ino said, placating. "He seemed really stressed out, and we saw him today with two girls that he called his teammates, even though we never seen them before."

Tenten frowned angrily, while Nejiko growled like an angry panther and kicked Gai square in the groin with all the strength she could muster.

Gai's deep, booming voice sounded like he had sucked helium for an hour. The jonin collapsed to ground, clutching his package with a cry of "Ah! My youth!"

Lee looked somewhere between impressed, frightened and sympathetic. He quickly labeled the move "One Hit Man-Killer" on his note pad, before dropping it to the ground and hurrying over to help his sensei.

Nejiko stalked over to Ino and grabbed the girl by the front of her tank-top, pulling her face-to-face with the livid Hyuuga.

"Who are they? What do they look like? Are they hotter than me? Tell me what they look like so I can find them and destroy them!" She snarled angrily.

Ino shook under the unrestrained pressure of Nejiko's killing intent, which felt like it was trying to crush the breath out of her lungs. "He said they were named Samui and Yugito Nii! They're both blonde and really hot! Please don't kill me!"

Tenten grabbed the Hyuuga's wrist, pulling the angry Branch Member off of the terrified Yamanaka. Nejiko activated her Byakugan out of reflex, and took off into the surrounding foliage to find two blondes. Tenten chased after her, leaving two shaking Kunoichi's and Gai still on the ground, clutching his broken youth.

…

Ichiraku Ramen had been a favorite eatery of Naruto's for years. They didn't just serve ramen, although that was their main dish. The family chef duo of Teuchi and Ayame also cooked other noodle dishes, as well as sushi, onigiri and teriyaki.

After Naruto had left with an ANBU for something, Samui and Yugito, on Naruto's recommendation, gone to the little Ramen stand for a quick meal.

Samui was enjoying one of her favorite dishes, sukiyaki, with a content look on her face as she savored the noodles and the meat. Yugito practically purred in contentment as she consumed a platter of sushi.

Unfortunately, their meal was interrupted by an angry female voice shouting, "There they are!"

The curtain to the establishment was thrown open by an angry Hyuuga Nejiko as she stormed into the stand, Byakugan blazing furiously. As soon as she was clear of the cloth obstruction, she charged at the nearest blonde, which just so happened to be Samui.

The ex-Kumo genin dove to the side as Nejiko's chakra enhanced fist plowed through the air her head had occupied, shattering her bowl into a hundred pieces.

Samui could only dodge the multitude of Jyuuken strikes that were aimed at harming/maiming/killing her. While she was no slouch in taijutsu, having been taught by the fitness nut that is Killer Bee, she knew that trying to block a strike from a Hyuuga would result in damaging her tenketsu. Trying to counter-attack would only leave her open for a follow up from Nejiko, and that would be all she wrote.

As she tried to beat the stuffing out of Samui, Nejiko screamed, "How dare you?! How could you steal him away?! I'll murder you for taking him away from me!"

Samui's back hit the wall of Ichiraku's, leaving her with no place to dodge as Nejiko took a strange stance, and a green symbol lit up the floor.

"You are within my divination!" She shouted.

Tenten's eye met Yugito's, and a quick understanding was reached between them. Tenten knew that move would, with proper strength, hurt Samui quite badly. Both Yugito and Tenten dived forward and grabbed Nejiko's arms, restraining her from following through on her move.

"Let me go!" Nejiko shouted wildly, thrashing about in the other two genin's hold. "I'll kill that bitch for taking Naruto away from me!"

Samui, being the strong and proud woman she was, stood up for herself with steel in her eyes. "I haven't stolen anyone from you!"

Fire very nearly flew from Nejiko's eyes. "Haven't stolen anyone?! Because of your betrothal to Naruto, he will have to forget all about me and marry you! How dare you take away the love of my life!?"

Samui blinked, thunderstruck. "You think we did this on purpose?" her icy blue eyes became colder than the arctic. "We weren't told about or betrothal until a week ago!"

Nejiko's thrashing subsided, and she frowned, confused. "You…you didn't want to marry Naruto?"

Yugito, still holding one of the Hyuuga's arms securely, shook her head. "Hell no! We didn't even know who he was until three days ago when we first me him! And even then, he was almost as pissed off as you are now."

This was news to Tenten and Nejiko, who looked at Yugito in surprise. "Really?"

The blonde jinchuriki rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes! He railed at me about not being able to keep a promise or something. He also said something about revealing his bloodline so he can make someone happy."

Nejiko's eyes widened in understanding, as did Tenten's. "Oh."

A sudden shifting of fabric made all the girls' heads snap towards the entrance of Ichiraku's, where Suki, Hinata and Hanabi stood, mouths agape.

Ayame looked between the heiresses and the other girls in confusion. "What's so important about a bloodline?"

Suki spoke haltingly. "When a single person has an important enough bloodline, the council can vote on whether or not to place him under the CCA, or Clan Creation Act. It allows a man to take multiple wives to start a clan and build it up quickly."

Ayame's mouth dropped open as she looked between the girls again. "Oooh."

That single word seemed to break a dam in Hinata and Hanabi.

"_**WHAT?!"**_

Their words might as well have been one of Naruto's Shouts, the force of it blowing everyone's hair back in a ten yard radius.

Apparently, the idea that they might have to share Naruto had never entered their minds. They had thought that, eventually, Naruto would choose one of them and they would live happily ever after.

It had never occurred to them what would happen to the others.

Naruto appeared in the middle of the stand in a crack of thunder. He took in the scene rapidly, from the way Yugito and Tenten were holding Nejiko, to the angry stance Samui had taken, to the shocked surprise on Hinata and Hanabi's face and the resigned determination on Suki's.

He sighed unhappily. "I guess you found out, huh?" Naruto asked rhetorically. He gave the girls a resigned look. "It seems we need to have a conversation."

…

"Why didn't you tell us you were getting married, Naruto?" Hanabi demanded angrily.

The Hyuuga twins, along with Suki, Tenten, Nejiko and the Nii sisters sat in a semi-circle around the blonde in an unused training ground.

Naruto leveled a steady glare on the slightly younger Hyuuga twin, letting her know that he was not amused. "I was told thirty minutes before I had to leave on the mission to retrieve Samui and Yugito from Kumo. I only had time to go see Tenten and buy my gear before I had to leave."

The twins and Suki shot Tenten heated glares, before turning confused looks on Nejiko. The older genin raised an eyebrow at the younger girls. "What? Tenten and I are teammates and the only girls in our squad, we tell each other a lot."

This made the girls glare harder at Tenten. The bun-haired girl glared right back. "Stop looking at me like that! We may be acquaintances through Naruto, but that doesn't mean we're friends!"

Naruto looked to Suki, who seemed to be fidgeting with her fingers and staring at her feet. "What do you think of all this, Suki? You haven't said much."

The Uchiha Kunoichi sighed and brushed a wayward bang back from her face. "I don't like it," she started quietly. "But, I knew that this was a possibility. Mom and I are the last of our clan, and Kaa-san made me study the clan laws. If I don't marry someone of my choosing before my seventeenth birthday, I'd be forced to marry someone of the council's choosing and made to bear a child within a year."

Hanabi jumped to her feet and pointed a finger accusingly at Suki. "So you're just _using_ Naruto to avoid having to marry someone you don't want to! You probably don't even love him!"

Suki shot to her feet, two tomoes in each suddenly blood-red eyes glaring at Hanabi. "How dare you! I've known Naruto longer than anyone else, and we've been friends for that entire time! He was my first friend outside of my brother, and the only one who isn't considered a murdering psychopath!"

"Actually…" Naruto had his hand in the air, drawing the attention of all present to him. The younger girls shot him slightly fearful looks. "Tenten's the one who's known me the longest."

All eyes fell onto Tenten, who was fiddling with her pink shirt. "We grew up in the same orphanage."

Nejiko gave Tenten a startled look. "You never told me about that."

Her teammate sighed and looked at the ground, refusing to meet the Hyuuga's eyes. "To be honest, those weren't the happiest times of my life."

Naruto sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she leaned into his comforting warmth. "You don't have to tell them if you don't want too…"

Tenten sighed. "No, it's better to tell them now, then to have them pester me later." She took a deep breath, and began to tell her story.

"I was one, and my dad was away on a long-term mission, and my mother had to take over the shop. When the Kyuubi attacked, part of the shop collapsed, while my mother was still inside. It was only after the Kyuubi was gone that the surviving ninja found me, and since neither of my parents were able to take care of me, one being…dead, and the other indisposed for an unknown amount of time, they took me to a local orphanage and dropped me there, on the same day that Naruto arrived there." She wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled softly at Naruto.

"When I was old enough to walk, the matron took me with her everywhere, including Naruto's room. From the time he was a year old, to his third year, I was his only friend. I visited him every day, and we would talk about everything that came to mind. Though, now that I think about it, we both talked _at_ each other, because he still spoke that strange language that no one can understand." She leaned her cheek against Naruto's and closed her eyes with a sigh. "A year later, and my dad came back from his mission, picked me up from the orphanage and that was that. I still visited Naruto every day, and even taught him some of the things I learned from my dad after he retired and I decided to be a ninja."

Naruto smiled gently, stroking her back softly. "It was due to her influence that made me want to use the bow."

Hanabi looked between Naruto and Tenten with ill-concealed jealousy. "But what about Suki? She's just using you!"

Suki grabbed the younger Hyuuga by the front of her jacket angrily. "I am not! Take that back!"

Hanabi ripped her jacket out of the Uchiha's hands. "Make me, Copy-bitch!" She spat.

As it came to blows, Naruto appeared in the middle of the two girls, hands outstretched and holding them back by their foreheads.

"Suki, Hanabi, that's enough, stop it!" They ignored Naruto and pushed him aside, Suki tackling Hanabi to the ground, the two girls rolling around on the ground and wildly attempting to thrash each other.

"I said _**STOP!"**_

The ground seemed to tremble and thunder rolled as Naruto's voice reverberated through the clearing.

All of the girls hit the ground clutching their ears, the spat between the two girls forgotten as they rolled around on the grass in pain.

Through the pain, they looked through shaking eyes to see one of the most terrifying sights they had ever seen.

The red orange that was present within the pupils of Naruto's eyes had overtaken the rest of the eye, iris and sclera, leaving him with a malevolent gaze. Orange wind seemed to swirl about his form, as if he was just about to catch on fire.

He stalked over to where Hanabi and Suki lay, glaring down at them. A light yellow orb appeared in his hand, glowing warmly, in direct contrast with the evil aura he was giving out.

He extended the orb outward, and a wave of light washed over the clearing. A soothing note rang in the girls' ears as their burst eardrums were mended.

Once he was assured that they were all healed, he let the light die, before speaking to the two girls in an angry tone of voice.

"I want you two to realize something," he said pointing a taloned finger at them with narrow eyes. "I don't care if you two love me, if it leads to you two fighting over me like a prize. You are friends," the two girls looked away, ashamed, "And if I am the reason you keep fighting like this because you can't figure out a solution, then I will solve the problem myself. I will remove myself from your lives, and you will never see me again."

The two girls gasped and made to object, but Naruto cut across them. "No, you can't reason with me on this. I want you two to go home, and think on this: Is fighting over a boy really a reason to disregard years of friendship?"

The malevolent aura, along with the redness in Naruto's eyes receded. "Tenten, Nejiko, can you take Suki and Hanabi home? Make sure to tell their parents what they did."

The two Kunoichi nodded and lead the younger two away, Hinata following, while waving sadly at Naruto.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, turning to the ex-Kumo-nin. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. It's late; I'll show you to my apartment complex. Come on."

Samui and Yugito followed him concerned expressions on their faces.

Without any prompting, Naruto began to speak. "I knew there would be problems with the 'sharing me' thing, but I didn't think it would come to this. It sucks having to yell at my precious people."

Not another word was said as they walked through the streets of Konoha. As they climbed the steps of Naruto's apartment building, they met Yuugao in the hallway. She told them to meet her at training ground Seventeen for training the next morning, and left them alone for the night.

The three said goodnight to each other and entered their separate apartments.

**Two Weeks Later…**

The next two weeks were spent team building exercises, were Yuugao would pit Naruto, Samui and Yugito against her and her brother, Hayate Gekko, who was also a kenjutsu master and Naruto's previous teacher.

Outside of team time, Naruto went on dates with both Samui and Yugito. First, he took Samui to the Platinum Wok, a high class restaurant that served almost anything at the right price.

They had ordered a shared serving of sukiyaki, along with a plate of Unagi onigiri. During the meal, the two blondes spent a suspicious amount of time holding hands and sending blush-laden looks at each other. Afterwards, they had gone for ice cream at a nearby stand, Samui getting mint chocolate chip, and Naruto, pistachio. They enjoyed their cool treat while strolling through a park, hands held tenderly in the opposite.

At the end of the night, Naruto and Samui stood in front of Samui's door.

_(Flashback)_

_Naruto's contrasting eyes stared into Samui's cool blue with intensity. Unbidden, their necks bent forward, heads tilting forward, their lips coming precariously close to each other's._

_Samui suddenly drew back with a hiss of pain, her hand going to the back of her neck._

"_What's wrong, Samui-chan?" Naruto asked, concerned._

_Samui blushed lightly at his closeness. "It's my shoulders, they start to knot up around this time of night, and it gets really painful."_

_Suddenly bashful and very red, Naruto stammered, "Er…maybe…I could help you with that? Maybe…a massage?"_

_A blush burned on both their cheeks, and Samui began to fidget with her hands. "I…I'd like that, Naruto-kun…"_

_With faces that could be seen from the sky, the blonde Kunoichi took Naruto's hand and led him inside._

_She left him in the bathroom to undress while he filled the tub. Once the bath had been drawn at the right temperature, Naruto took his clothes and folded them, setting them in a corner of the room. He stepped into the hot water and sat, tapping his fingers nervously. The door opened and stepped through and closed it before turning around, showing Naruto that she was only wearing a towel._

_She hesitated next to the tub, hand on the knot of her towel. She told herself that there was no reason she should be worried. They had been to the hotsprings together on mixed bathing day. Yuugao had insisted on it. She said it would derail any awkwardness between the team._

_Samui steeled herself. She was a Kunoichi, dammit! If she didn't have the guts to get naked in front of the guy she liked, then she shouldn't have invited him into her apartment!_

_Mind made, she tugged the knot loose and let the towel slide to the floor._

_Naruto had seen Samui naked before. He had not, however, been alone with her at the time. With Yugito and Yuugao with them, he had not gotten the chance to look her over for real, instead glancing quickly and hoping he hadn't been seen._

_Samui was closer to fifteen than fourteen, but she still had the figure of a full-grown woman. Her legs were long and shapely, her hips round, her stomach flat and toned, her breasts round and full with little to no sag despite their size, long toned arms, and a beautiful face framed by light blonde hair._

_She had scars here and there, but instead of detracting from her appearance, they added to it. They showed that she was not a dainty flower to sheltered and hidden, but rose to admired and shown, with the thorns only adding to the appearance._

_She stepped into the bath and turned around, either unknowingly presenting Naruto with a close up of her rear or teasing him, and sat down between his legs. She leaned back with a sigh of contentment, her back against his chest._

_The talons on Naruto's fingers receded to normal human lengths, the spikes around the elbow shortening and blunting, while the scales broke up into smaller segments, resembling snake scales._

_He channeled a small amount of Lightning Chakra to his fingertips and dug them into Samui's shoulders gently._

_Samui moaned as her muscles loosened and the tension of the day was relaxed away. "Mmm…Naruto, your fingers are magical…"_

_He moved his hands and magical fingers down her back and arms. If possible, Samui relaxed even more, almost melting into a pile of goo._

_Barely conscious, the blonde Kunoichi turned around in the bath tub and circled her arms around Naruto's waist, pressing herself and her assets into his chest. It was now very hard for Naruto to stop himself from doing something untoward._

_They washed each other tenderly, stealing small kisses in between, until the water had gone cold._

_They now stood at Samui's door, the Kunoichi wearing a robe and Naruto his previous if damp clothes. Their eyes would lock onto each other's, they would jump after realizing that they were staring, blush and look away._

_Finally, Samui had enough. "Fuck it." She muttered, grabbing Naruto by the collar of his shirt and pulling him forward, crashing her lips against his._

_Their lips molded to one another's as electric sparks ran down their spines. The kiss was chaste, but sweet and filled with promise for the future._

_When breath became an issue (and it was a long time, they are ninja), they separated, leaning their foreheads against each other's and stealing small kisses in between labored pants._

"_We are going to do that again." Samui declared firmly in a whisper._

_Naruto chuckled breathlessly. "Yes we are."_

_(Flashback End)_

With Yugito, Naruto took her to a well-known sushi place, called Kubikiri-Hocho. To Naruto's amazement, Yugito had consumed about half of her body weight in raw fish and other assorted seafood.

Afterwards, they had gotten dango, and eaten it in under a blossoming Sakura tree as the sun set, leaning on each other.

The night had ended in front of Yugito's door, where the blonde Kunoichi kissed Naruto aggressively with great passion and force, almost completely dominating the Ryu-Shinobi with her tongue.

Almost.

He fought back with equal fervor for many minutes, until oxygen became a necessity, and they called it a draw and broke apart. They did battle many times that night, eventually falling asleep on the couch in each other's arms.

And now we come to the present. Team Yuugao stood in front of the Sandaime's desk in the mission hall, a little more confident in their ability to protect one another.

"Ah, Team Yuugao, I take it you are here for a mission?" He asked genially.

The jonin nodded with a small smile. "Indeed, my team is ready."

The Sandaime made a noise of agreement and began to rifle through the piles of scrolls on his desk. A tap from the window drew his attention. A messenger hawk with a small scroll attached to it's leg cawed before jumping on the desk and presenting it's leg.

The Sandaime waved the bird off and began to read. The further he read, the more he frowned until he looked positively unhappy.

"Well, it seems like you came in at the right time. Kakashi Hatake and Team Seven took a C-Rank mission two days ago, escorting a bridge builder to his home country of Nami. They ran into two chunin-level nuke-nin and were able to subdue them, learning that the mission was in fact purposely mis-ranked. They have sent for reinforcements, and Team Yuugao is one of the most prepared in the village." The Sandaime explained shortly. "You will go to Nami and provide back-up for Team Seven. This is currently ranked as a B-rank, with the possibility of becoming an A. Do you accept?"

Team Yuugao nodded as one. "Hai!"

"Dismissed."

…

They split up to gather equipment for a B-rank, Naruto leaving a note pinned to his door with a kunai explaining the situation to anybody who was looking for him. They met up at the gates and departed through the tree-tops.

Mikoto Uchiha watched from her spot in the guardhouse of the gate as Team Yuugao disappeared into the distance, a small smile on her face. Her mind wandered to the night two weeks ago, when her decision was cemented in her mind.

_(Flashback)_

_Mikoto was walking past a training ground, on her way home from the council meeting. Her mind was running over the new information about one of her favorite genin, and her reaction to it. As soon as she heard that Naruto was under the CCA, she immediately felt hopeful._

_And this worried her slightly._

_A distant shout of anger echoed out of the training ground and into the night, the voice familiar to the Uchiha matriarch._

"_Naruto-kun?" She wondered._

_Entering the perimeter, she came across an angry Naruto beating the figurative shit out of a training log. As she watched, he released an angry roar and punched the log, which not did snap, or break or dent._

_It exploded into a shower of splinters._

_Huffing from exertion, Naruto sat down on a nearby fallen log with a sigh._

"_Naruto?"_

_His head snapped towards the origin of the voice, finding Mikoto peering at him with worry in her eyes. "Are you alright?"_

_Naruto placed his hand on his face and sighed sadly. "No, not really. Have you talked to Suki tonight?"_

_Mikoto took a seat next to Naruto with wide eyes. "No, I haven't. Is she in trouble?"_

"_You could say that." He rubbed his face tiredly. "Why do they love me, Mikoto? What is so special about me that the girls would fight over me like animals?"_

_Mikoto gasped. "Is that what happened?"_

_Naruto nodded. "Yeah. First, Nejiko tried to Jyuuken Samui to death, and then Suki and Hanabi tried to claw each other's eyes out."_

_Mikoto laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gently said, "Naruto, the girls love you because they know that you would do anything for them. Because you care about them, and their feelings. Because you are so sweet, and funny and serious and just…you. Despite your idea that you are just a normal person, Naruto, you're not. There is something about that draws people in, makes them want to trust you."_

_Her gaze dropped as she muttered, "…I know I trust you…"_

_Naruto turned a confused look onto Mikoto. "What does that mean?"_

_She refused to look him in the eye, and asked, "Naruto…how hard would it be for you to imagine kissing me?"_

_His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, so great was his shock. "Wha…?"_

_Mikoto tilted her head down, so that her hair hid her face. "Could you imagine kissing me, Naruto?"_

_He didn't answer. Surprise had disabled his vocal cords._

_Taking the silence as an answer, and the one she feared, she turned away so that he couldn't see her tears, she stood to leave. She took four steps before a hand that she recognized as Naruto's landed on her shoulder. "Naruto…"_

_She was spun around, and before she could say anything, her lips were claimed by Naruto's in a fierce kiss. She was surprised for a second before her mind kicked in. her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his wrapped around her waist. They held each other as their tongues came into the fray._

_Despite the passion, the kiss was tender and sweet, and to Naruto, it felt like he was safe and warm. For Mikoto, it was new and refreshing. She hadn't done anything like this since before Fugaku died._

_They separated, staring into each other's eyes. "Mikoto…"_

_She smiled as happy tears began to trail down her face. "Naruto…"_

_(Flashback End)_

The Uchiha matriarch smiled to herself and thought over the other nights that they had met over the last couple of weeks. They had been sweet and fleeting, but happy and romantic nonetheless. She couldn't wait for him to return.

…

_With Team Yuugao, Four Hours Later…_

The three genin and single jonin leaped through the trees in Nami no Kuni, having crossed the expanse of water separating Hi no Kuni from Nami. They leapt through the trees until their forward progress was halted by a thick fog-bank.

The sound of clashing metal and shouts could be heard from within. Yuugao frowned as she extended her senses. "Be careful, this mist is laced with chakra, a move only known to Kiri shinobi. Use all of your senses and watch each other's backs."

"Hold on, sensei," Naruto stopped them, "I can clear this up in a few seconds."

Yugito gave Naruto an incredulous look. "Naruto-kun, unless you can somehow control the weather, I don't think anyone can clear this up without killing the caster."

A smirk stretched across his lips. He stepped forward and drew a hard breath into his lungs. **"LOK VAH KOOR!"**

A light blue wave of light flew from his mouth, dispersing eight feet in front of him. Within seconds of the Shout being released, the mist dispersed, along with the clouds in the sky, leaving the normally cloudy Nami bathed in rare sunlight.

It also revealed a scene of battle in front of them.

Team Seven, (Suki, Hanabi and Sakura) and their client (an old drunk Tazuna) and their sensei (Kakashi), were in the middle of a battle.

Kakashi was kunai to zanbatou with a tall, muscular man with no eyebrows and bandages around the lower half of his face.

Hanabi was next to Tazuna in her Jyuuken stance, using her Byakugan to anticipate threats.

Suki was fighting off a Mizu Bunshin of Zabuza along with a shinobi covered by a poncho with a wicked-looking gauntlet on his arm.

Sakura was dodging clawed swipes from a second identical clawed-and-poncho'ed shinobi.

Everyone froze as the mist dissipated, turning to look at the source of the voice. **"WULD!"** A thunder-like crack tore the air as a predominantly black-wearing sword-wielding genin appeared behind the Mizu Bunshin with his strange black sword drawn.

The Bunshin collapsed into a puddle of water as the real Zabuza jumped back from Kakashi. "Shit! I should have known that you would call for reinforcements! _Kirigakure no jutsu_!"

Nothing happened.

Zabuza's eyes widened in shock. "What the fuck? _Kirigakure no jutsu!_"

Nothing.

Naruto looked up from his position next to Suki. "That's not going to work."

The swordsman's eyes flickered over the six genin and two jonin, thinking over the variables. "Fuck. _Mizu Bunshin!_"

Ten clones swirled out of the water, all carrying copies of Zabuza's massive sword. They rushed at the Konoha shinobi, creating a virtual wall of bodies.

Seeing what Zabuza was doing, Kakashi crouched over and piled the remaining chakra into his hand. Blue lightning cackled along his arm, chirping like a cacophony of birds.

"Chidori!"

He sprinted along the top of the water with his hand held low, trailing along the top of the lake. Zabuza created a Mizu Bunshin in Kakashi's path which had no time to move before Kakashi's hand plowed through it's face.

His Chidori was weakened through exerting energy to stab through the clone, and as such only barely pierced Zabuza's shoulder.

The tall swordsman gave a shout of pain while lashing out with his foot, connecting with Kakashi's gut. The cycloptic jonin was launched across the water into a tree, where he slumped over.

The Demon Brothers also saw what Zabuza was doing. "You son of a bitch!" They backed up and slipped their hands into pouches, pulling smoke bombs out to cover their escape.

Yuugao noticed this and sprinted at the two while shouting, "Stop them!"

As the brothers threw the bombs to the ground, a voice rang out.

"**IISS!"**

A wave of ice-blue light flew from Naruto's mouth, enveloping the two brothers in ice. The smoke bombs fell to the ground and shattered, frozen.

In the trees, a person wearing the mask of a Kiri hunter-nin froze in shock._ Another Hyoton user? I'm not alone!_

Yuugao moved quickly, restraining the two chunin with ninja wire as Sakura and Hanabi moved to Kakashi. Green chakra covered Sakura's hands as Hanabi's Byakugan activated.

"Major case of chakra exhaustion, three cracked ribs and cracked tibia." Hanabi listed off as Sakura moved her hands over Kakashi.

The one-eyed jonin had enough energy to apologize and cover his Sharingan eye before blacking out.

Yuugao took charge, being the highest-ranking ninja there. "Naruto, carry Kakashi. Samui, Yugito, carry the prisoners. The rest of you protect Tazuna in Manji formation. Tazuna-san, how close is your residence?"

The drunk pointed down the road. "It's about a mile."

Yuugao nodded. "Very well. Let's get there quickly."

They hurried to Tazuna's domicile as fast as Tazuna could go, which wasn't very fast. In about an hour, they made it to plain two story house next to the water. Tazuna threw open the door with a bang, shouting out, "I'm home, my lovely-"

CLANG!

A frying pan clattered to the floor after smacking Tazuna in the face, making the older man roll around the floor with his hands covering his face.

"Tou-baka! What have I told you about barging in here so loud?" A pretty woman with long black hair and a pink sweater paused in the middle of what promised to be a very wrathful rant, when she noticed that there were more people than just her dad at her door.

"Ah! Oh, I'm so sorry you heard that! Gomenasai!" She bowed before helping her father to his feet. "I'm so glad you're back safe, dad. Inari and I missed you."

Tazuna rubbed his face and gave his daughter a hug. "I missed you too, Tsunami. Where is the little squirt?"

The back door opened as a child walked in, wearing over-alls and a bucket hat, with a moody expression on his face. His face brightened slightly as he gave Tazuna a hug, but fell when he saw the shinobi. "Why are they here? They're just going to die."

Tsunami looked shocked. "Inari! Don't say that to our guests! Apologize!"

Inari gave her a dead look. "Why? Gato will just kill them all." He then walked upstairs.

"Well someone's optimistic." Kakashi remarked dryly from Naruto's shoulder.

"Ah! I'm sorry, ninja-san, I didn't know you were injured! Follow me, I'll lead you to a room where you can rest."

"That'd be great, Tsunami-san. This lazy bastard is quite heavy for some reason." Naruto said dryly.

Kakashi apparently had enough chakra to smack himself in the face. "That's why I was moving so slow! I forgot to take off my weights, dammit!"

Yuugao shook her head. "So sad to see you losing your touch, Kakashi-sempai. Your old age must be getting to you."

"Oh shut up, kitty."

"Mutt."

"Pussy."

"Bitch."

"…I hate you."

Yuugao smiled smugly. "Take it like man, sempai."

Naruto set the silver-haired jonin down on a futon and covered him with a blanket. "Thanks, Naruto-kun. When I wake up, I'll show you the wonders of Icha, Icha."

Before Yuugao could retaliate, Kakashi was already snoring. "Bastard better not pervert my student…"

Samui and Yugito followed Tazuna down to the basement, dumping the Demon Brothers down there and tied them to some spare planks of wood.

…

_Four Days Later…_

As Kakashi recovered, Yuugao taught the genin how to water-walk. It was hard for Naruto, seeing as he was not only a jinchuriki, but also a male surrounded by females wearing not a lot of clothing and getting wet in them.

You can see how hard it was for him.

This night, the two teams sat around the table with Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari, dining on a simple meal of meat, rice and vegetables, Naruto having hunted and skinned the deer earlier.

Inari stared at the shinobi in growing anger, before slamming his hands onto the table and shouting, "What the hell are you so happy for?! Gato will kill you all!"

The shinobi looked at each other with raised brows, while Tsunami and Tazuna looked appalled at Inari's behavior. "Inari!"

"Okay, kid, let me lay down some facts: Kakashi is an A-class bordering S-class shinobi. Yuugao-sensei is a former ANBU captain, one of the elite of the elite. Sakura is strong and ridiculously smart, Suki has a fire fetish, Hanabi is a prodigy in her Clan's taijutsu style, Yugito is powerhouse, Samui is fast, and I can breathe fire by yelling angrily. This "Gato" guy, a civilian with no real special powers is boned." Naruto pointed to each shinobi as he explained.

"You don't understand what's it's like to live like this! You don't stand a chance against him!" Inari shouted with tears in his eyes.

Naruto's hand slammed into the table with a bang, making everyone jump. "I don't understand? You don't understand!" He leaned over the table into Inari's face, his eyes being covered by the red-orange pupils. "You may be suffering, but at least you have food, a warm bed, a roof over your head and people that love you! I had no one for years! Every time I walked through the village, I was ignored like a ghost! They hated me so much that they refused to acknowledge my existence!"

He stood up and walked to the door, sliding it open. He turned to look back at Inari. "No matter how bad it is for you, someone else has always had it worse. Remember that."

The door slid shut, leaving shocked silence in the room, broken only by Inari running out the back door.

Hanabi turned to Kakashi with tears in her eyes. "Was what he said true?"

Kakashi nodded and leaned back, propping himself against the wall. "Yeah…it was."

Samui and Yugito gave each other surprised looks. He couldn't have been treated that way because he was a jinchuriki, right? That didn't make sense.

…

**With Naruto…**

_This is very odd,_ Naruto stated in his mind, _usually I wouldn't be this angry at the little brat._

_**I feel it too.**_ Alduin muttered. _**There is something in the air that is making you more aggressive. We must find the source…it is very familiar for some reason.**_

Just then, it seemed like a pulse of malice reverberated through the forest, coming from deeper in the trees. Naruto followed it as it pulsed quicker and quicker, eventually finding himself standing over a circular burn on the ground.

It was a perfect circle, with an inverted triangle in the center, the corners touching the circle. The malice seemed stronger there than anywhere else.

He knelt to examine the circle running his fingers along the edges. "What the hell is this?"

His answer came in the form of the ground tilting dramatically, throwing Naruto down the sudden hill and into a pitch black cavern.

He righted himself midair, landing firmly on his feet. The cavern lit itself with torches, nearly blinding the genin. Once his sight had recovered, he gaped at what the light revealed.

Carved from black stone, sitting on a throne of screaming souls, was a tall statue of a half-naked, four armed horned creature that likely no one else except Naruto would recognize.

Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Chaos.

"Holy shit…"  
>Rumbling laughter filled the cavern. <strong>"So, a mortal who recognizes me. What a surprise."<strong>

Naruto blinked blankly. "I never thought I'd get to see a daedric shrine, let alone talk to a Daedric Lord."

"**Oh? You know of the Daedra? I haven't heard that title in centuries. How do you know what I am?"**

Before he could respond, it seemed like something was probing his mind. **"Ah! Alduin is contained within you! I always wondered where he went…but now I know. Tell me mortal, do you know my name?"**

"Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Lord of Destruction, Chaos and Ambition." Naruto replied.

"**And Change. Everyone seems to forget that I bring change as well."**

"How are you here? I thought you only existed in Nirn?" He asked in confusion.

"**This plane of existence **_**is**_** Nirn. It has been changed since Alduin has been here last. I might have had a small part in that."**

"I think that you're somehow understating your involvement." Naruto remarked dryly. "What did you do?"

"**It was nothing I did mortal, but one of your kind. I forget his name, but he tired of all the fighting and conflict in his time."**

"So why'd he come to you? That's seems redundant."

"**Indeed. I almost set him on fire for being an idiot, but what he wanted gave me pause. He asked me to bring about change within the world. And since Akatosh bit me and forbid me from coming there myself, I sent one of my creations, a rather terrifying creature if I do say so myself, to cause the change for me."**

Naruto made a very wry face. "He didn't specify how the change should come, did he?"

"**Indeed not. I sent my creation, a Onigumo as you would call it, with ten tails to wreak havoc and change the world. Until of course that ripple-eyed man split her into nine pieces. While impressive, it was also very annoying for me. My only source of entertainment, sealed away."**

Something that Dagon had said caught Naruto's attention. "Wait, she?"

"**Yes, she. Her daughters are some of the most powerful creatures on Nirn. I know that you have the strongest sealed inside of you with Alduin. How come you have never found that out? Did you ever talk to her?"**

Naruto thought hard. "Whenever Alduin and I were in my mindscape, she just glared at us and made threatening gestures with her paws. I thought she was so angry that she couldn't speak."

_**Shit.**_

_What?_ Naruto was startled out of his thinking by Alduin's word. He never cursed if he could help it.

_**I just realized something. The first time I met the Kyuubi, she wouldn't shut up about killing me, so I silenced her.**_

_So?_

_**I never took it off.**_

…_ah._

_**Indeed.**_

"Excuse me Lord Dagon, I need to go to my mind and talk to my other tenant." Naruto bowed shortly and sat down, meditating. With an odd falling/sucking sensation that usually came with entering his mind, Naruto was standing in the middle of a lush field of grass. There were three moons in the sky, even though it was daytime.

Alduin, in dragon form landed next to him, looking into a dark cave that was sealed off with thick metal bars, locked in place with a piece of paper with a large and complicated seal on it.

Behind those bars, there was a giant red-orange fox, glaring at them with angry red eyes.

Naruto glanced at Alduin cautiously, who nodded his scaled head.

The World-Eater reared his head back and Shouted, **"Tinvaak, Vahdin!"** (Speak, Maiden!)

A wave of white air rolled over the Kyuubi, who stayed silent as the echoes faded.

Naruto gave Alduin a confused look. "Did it work?"

"**Oh, it worked alright."** The feminine voice coming form the Kyuubi startled the two. **"When I get out of here, I'm going to eviscerate you, light you on fire and then piss on the ashes. Words cannot describe how angry I am right now."**

"_**Now, now, my daughter, don't get ahead of yourself. You cannot kill your Intended, now can you?"**_

The three turned to look at the source of the voice, starting in surprise. There stood Mehrunes Dagon, twelve feet tall and glowing like lava.

"**What?!"** The fox shouted.

"_**That is right. You do remember what the punishment for being defeated was, don't you?"**_

"**I would have to submit to my defeater…How does that work?"** The Kyuubi questioned angrily.

Mehrunes smirked. _**"You were defeated when the blonde kage sealed you into Naruto here. However, since he died, his victory over you was transferred over to your container."**_

The Kyuubi's jaw dropped. **"But…but…that's so unfair!"**

Naruto waved his hands wildly, drawing the attention of the two giants. "Hey! What about me? Don't I get a say in this?"

"_**No."**_

Alduin lay next to Naruto, looking highly amused at all that was going on. "What the fuck? Why not?!"

"_**I'm bigger than you."**_

Naruto grabbed his hair, looking completely stressed out. "For the love of Mara, how could this day get any worse?! How are the girls going to take it?"

His face fell into despair. "Oh son of a bitch, the girls!"

"_**I would not be worried about how they will react, Naruto. I would be worried about my champion coming to kill you."**_

Naruto gaped at the Daedra. "I'm sorry, what?"

"_**You didn't think that I was going to let you marry my daughter without being tested first? Folly!"**_

"You couldn't have sent me on a quest our something? Is that too much to ask?!" Naruto shouted at Dagon.

"_**Yes. My champion will present herself within a week. She will be wearing my symbol, and tell you my current name. Jashin."**_

…

**A/N: And that's the end of chapter three. Originally, it wasn't the Wave arc, but I decided to get it out of the way before doing any thing else.**

**Any who, forgive my lack of updates. Summer was hectic, with vacation in Yellowstone, college, and then my lack of muse, it was just very hard to write.**

**Also, to answer a commonly asked question:**

**Naruto's Dragon Body is permanent until he fully transforms into a dragon. Then he will be able to switch between forms at will.**

**Now, I don't really know when I'll update next, however, it will not be another four month stretch. Dear god, I was so irritated with myself when I realized I hadn't updated in so long. I hate it when authors don't update, especially if they're good. **

**Not saying that I'm good, per se, but I'd like to think so.**

**The Harem stands as this:**

**Yugito, Samui, Hinata, Hanabi, Nejiko, Tenten, Suki, Mikoto, Fem. Kyuubi, Fem. OC Jashinist, and others as a possibility.**

**Now, when I say "Harem" I don't mean that all of the women will come to the end with Naruto. Saying anything else would be a spoiler.**

**Keep Being Awesome!**

**-Soleneus**

**P.S. I'm currently Re-writing An Assassin Among Shinobi, so there is a very good chance that will be updated next. I'm going to put it as a new story, so look out for it in a while.**


	4. The Daedra Are Watching

Chapter 4: The Benefits of Satsujin

When Naruto came to, he was lying on the grass at the base of a large tree, his eyes closed as a soft breeze blew across his body. He was still weary from the long talk he had with Mehrunes, Alduin and Kyuubi about the next week. Apparently, The Cult of Jashin had several members that, after gaining Mehrunes's favor, became practically immortal. Their limbs could be cut off, along with their head, but they would still be able to fight. Though, only their head would be able to fight if it was removed.

This would be troubling. He had to figure out how to kill someone who really couldn't die that easily. And then there was what he was supposed to do if he won.

"_**If you are able to defeat my Champion, then I want you to rip her heart out and sacrifice it in my name."**_

The snap of a twig alerted him to the presence of another in the clearing. Naruto's eyes snapped open, locking onto a pair of soft brown orbs set in the heart-shaped face of a young woman, framed by a few bangs of brown hair, pinned back in a bun.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She bowed quickly, apologizing. "I didn't realize there was some else in this clearing."

Naruto waved off her apologies and sat up, cracking his back. "It's no problem. I probably shouldn't be sleeping outside anyways."

She nodded with a small smile before shuffling about the clearing, picking various herbs. "Are you strong, ninja-san?"

Naruto chuckled lightly. "I'd like to think so, though I'm nowhere near strong enough to defeat everyone I'll face. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konohagakure. May I know your name?"

She looked over her shoulder at him with a gentle smile. "You may call me Haku, Naruto-kun. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Naruto watched as she walked, categorizing her movements. Her walk was way to smooth and graceful to be civilian and the smell of metal and oil coming from her person alerted him to weapons she hid on her body. He knelt next to her, peering into her basket and swiftly hiding his amusement. "Are you a doctor, Haku-chan?"

The concealed Kunoichi blushed slightly, but nodded. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

The jinchuriki snickered slightly. "The herbs you're picking are use to make a muscle relaxant…except for the one you just picked, which, when mixed with the others creates a deadly neuro-toxin."

She blinked blankly at him before looking at the small plant in her hand, then peering in her basket, before flushing heavily in embarrassment. "Thank you for that, Naruto-kun. I was distracted, and that could have been very bad."

Naruto just smiled at her. "It's alright, Haku-chan. Being around strangers makes everyone nervous. Here, let me help you."

They moved around the clearing, picking various healing herbs and chatting about various safe topics.

However, Haku was growing anxious. She desperately wanted to ask Naruto about his ice usage, but at the same time, didn't want to expose the fact that she was working for Zabuza either.

Naruto brought her out of her reverie with a comment. "So, Haku-chan, how long have you known Zabuza?"

She tensed and created several ice senbon between her fingers, readying them for throwing. "How did you know?"

Naruto gave her a beatific smile. "I didn't. You just told me."

Haku blinked blankly at the blonde genin. "What are you going to do know, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto leaned back and stretched. "Nothing. I'm just going to give you a warning. If you, or Zabuza, hurt any of my precious people, I will make his genin test seem like a pillow fight between school-girls. Understood?"

Haku nodded shakily, and Naruto stood to leave. "Wait!" She called out to him. "How did you use those Hyoton techniques?"

"Is that what they're called?" Naruto asked, tapping his chin with a curious look. He shrugged slightly. "I have a bloodline that lets me use the elements. Ice is one of them, though I doubt I could use it like you could."

She bit her lip nervously. "Could you…could you show me?"

The blonde thought it over before extending a frost covered hand at a nearby tree. He clenched his fist and released a foot-long spike of ice that sank half-way into the tree. "Haku-chan, I just want you to know, that if you ever decide you want to stop running from real hunter-nin, I do have the ear of the Hokage. Just a thought. I'd hate for a kind and gentle soul such as you to die."

Naruto winked at her and left the clearing and the lightly blushing Kunoichi behind. He made his way back to the house at a slow pace trying to enjoy nature for a little while. A soft voice, calling out his name, drew his attention to Hanabi, the Hyuuga heiress standing next to a tree with an uncharacteristic nervous look on her normally placid face.

"Naruto-kun?"

He stopped and gazed at her with an intense look. "Hanabi-chan…have you and Suki settled your differences?"

She tittered nervously and stepped out of the shadow of the tree, wringing her hands together. "Well, we'll never really get past all of our differences…but we did agree to not fight over you like that."

Hanabi sighed and looked down sadly. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…you were right. Suki and I are friends, and we shouldn't ignore that for selfish reasons. Can you forgive us?"

The blonde shinobi moved forward swiftly and wrapped her in a tight and warm embrace. "Don't be silly, Hanabi. You can have my forgiveness any time." He murmured to her as he held the Kunoichi in his arms. "I just want you guys to be happy."

_Silly Naruto-kun,_ Hanabi thought as she inhaled Naruto's scent, _you're what makes us happy…_

Her thoughts trailed off as Naruto's grip tightened around her almost painfully as he gave a grunt of pain. "Naruto-kun?"

Naruto drew away, clutching his right arm and gritting his teeth in pain.

Before the eyes of both him and Hanabi, the nails of his hand darkened to grey, extending past the tips of his fingers and thickening, while the top narrowed to a point. The base of his nails turned black and began to harden as black splotches crawled up his hand, covering it like a glove. With a series of disturbing cracks and crunches, the blackness hardened and gathered, forming into a series of ridged scales, a red gem forming in the space between the thumb and forefinger.

"Naruto-kun!" Hanabi shouted in alarm.

Naruto panted as he held his hand in pain. The transformation seemed to have stopped for now. "I'm alright, Hanabi. I'll be fine."

The Hyuuga stroked his back and worriedly questioned. "What was that?"

He breathed a sigh of relief and pushed himself up onto his feet. "That, was the process I've began to undergo for my transformation into a dragon."

"A dragon?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Naruto muttered. "Not as fun as it sounds. A dragon's body is very different from my own, and the changes are very painful. They'll continue until I fully change…it's not something I'm looking forward to."

"Is there any way to stop it?" Hanabi asked in concern.

Naruto shook his head. "As far as I can tell, no. I'd rather not try right now; it'd really suck to be stuck like this."

Hanabi put an arm around Naruto's shoulders and leaned on him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "We should get back to the house. The others are worried about you, Naruto-kun."

They made their way back to the house slowly, taking the time to hold each other and bask in the other's presence.

All too soon, they came to the house, where Tazuna was sitting on the porch, drinking a bottle of sake. Kakashi had just emerged from the house with his book 'o porn in hand. He looked up from it as the two genin came it view.

"Yo, Naruto. Yuugao is out at the dock with the others, working on combat while water walking. You can join them, I'm going to guard Tazuna for today." Kakashi waved with an eye-smile as he and the bridge-builder walked off.

Naruto's stomach grumbled loudly, causing him to blush and Hanabi to giggle behind a sleeve. "I think I'll get some food first before training. I'll join you ladies later, okay?"

The Hyuuga Kunoichi nodded and kissed him on the cheek before leaving to join the others. Naruto slid the door open and greeted Tsunami, who was washing dishes in the sink. "Good morning, Tsunami-san. Is there any breakfast left?"

She smiled lightly, though it was easy to tell that she was distracted. "There's still some left in the pan, Naruto-kun. Help yourself."

He nodded his thanks and acquired his food, sitting down at the table to eat. Tsunami watched him surreptitiously from the corner of her eyes, the information revealed to her last night at the forefront of her mind.

With a quiet sigh, she dried her hands on a towel and grabbed a pot of tea and two cups, sitting with Naruto and pouring both of them cups of the hot liquid. "Naruto-kun, your teacher, Kakashi, told us about your life in Konoha…"

His unique eyes locked onto her soft brown, a shadow passing over his face, one that made him look older than he was. "What do you want to know?" He asked quietly, setting his chopsticks down.

Tsunami wrung her hands nervously. It wasn't easy to ask someone about their life, especially one as bad as his.

Seeing that she wasn't able to work up the courage, Naruto scooted around the table to her side and rested a hand lightly across her shoulder. "You can ask me anything, Tsunami-san. You've taken me and my comrades into your house without complaint and allowed us to sleep under the same roof. If you desired, you could ask me to do anything for you."

Tears began to slip out of her eyes. "We heard about how you lived…all alone for the longest time…" She looked into his eyes, sorrow shining through. "How did you deal with it? The pain of being alone, even around other people?"

Naruto's eye clouded slightly as images of his precious people passed across his vision. Tenten and her dad, the ones who gave him a job he needed, and paid him the proper amount. Hinata, Hanabi and the Hyuuga, who had been neutral to him before the Kumo incident, and had welcomed him into their compound like family afterwards. Suki and Mikoto, who had lived right next door to him after the Massacre and helped him push away the loneliness as he healed their hearts in return. And Yugito and Samui, even after knowing them for just more than a month, had become some of his most precious people and close to his heart.

He pulled Tsunami into a gentle embrace, reducing his scales and blunting his spikes as to not hurt her. "I have friends, loved ones and people who I love and love me back. They're the ones who saved me from the darkness of my depression and gave me a reason to live."

Tsunami's tears wet his vest as she sobbed, clutching him to her as she let years of loneliness out. He just held her, gently stroking a hand through her silky black hair.

Her tears eventually slowed and her grip relaxed, though she did not let him go. "Is this about Inari's father?" Naruto asked softly.

He felt her nod, and her voice came out in shaky mumbles. "He…he died, days after Inari was born…and my heart shattered when I watched him be buried…I buried my feelings…I had to be strong, for Inari."

Tsunami was practically sitting in his lap now, her head resting against his chest, letting the strong beating of his heart drown out her memories. "And then…Kaiza came into our lives…and I my heart began to heal, for the first time in years…I felt whole again…and then Gato came in…he saw Kaiza as a symbol of resistance to his control, and murdered him in front of us…"

She nearly dissolved into tears again, but held them back with admirable self control. "I've been alone, with no one to hold and love for such a long time…I'm scared of dying alone…"

Naruto held her tighter, whispering to her, "But you're not alone, Tsunami. You've got your dad, Inari and me, if you want. I have something that will allow you to summon me here, if you want someone to talk to."

She smiled slightly, before leaning her head on his shoulder and mumbling, "I'd like that, Naruto-kun."

The releasing of emotions that had been pent up for so long had tired her out, and it only took a moment for her breathing to even out.

Gently, Naruto carried her up the stairs and to her bed, covering Tsunami in her blankets and brushing a wayward bang out of her face. He kissed her cheek gently and left, sliding the door closed and leaving the house.

Naruto joined the girls at the docks, where they were practicing combat on water. Suki and Sakura shot concerned looks at his blackened hand, but the others already knew why it had changed.

"Glad you could join us, Naruto." Yuugao smiled at him as he joined them on the water. "Feeling any better?"

He smiled back. "I do, sensei. I'm sorry for losing my temper."

She shook her head, her purple hair waving behind her. "It's better to let those things out before they can hurt you in the long run, Naruto-kun. You can talk to me if something's bothering you, okay?"

Naruto grinned happily as the other girls echoed the sentiment.

…

_Later That Night…_

Tsunami had awoken hours later, feeling better than she had in a long time. Dinner was a few rabbits caught by Kakashi as he returned with Tazuna. Everyone had enjoyed the light atmosphere, though there were a few tense moments, caused by a down-trodden Inari and Kakashi's refusal to stop reading his Icha-Icha, even though the majority of the group was female.

The calm was broken, literally, by the sound of a teacup shattering. Eyes turned to Naruto, who was clutching his right hand under the table with gritted teeth and sweat beading on his forehead.

Samui, the closest, grabbed his shoulder with concern in her voice. "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?"

He panted out, "My arm is changing again!"

Sakura moved around the table with hands encased in softly glowing green medical chakra but Naruto waved her off shortly. "Don't bother, it won't help. It just has to run it's course. Excuse me, but I'm going to retire to my room for the evening!"

He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled from the room, up the stairs and into his room, where the door was closed with sharp click.

Tazuna gazed at the other ninja with a confused face. "What was the hell was that?"

The eyes of every ninja there met one another's, before they unanimously announced, "Ninja stuff."

Tension in the form of worry for the blonde shinobi permeated the air, everyone thinking to themselves while keeping a stoic face on for the clients.

Yugito, however, was talking to her tenant, the Nibi no Nekomata. _Nibi-chan, you're being very quite all of a sudden. You would usually tell me to take this chance and sneak into Naruto's room for some 'Special Sleeping Time'. Not that I miss it, but is something wrong?_

The Twin-Tailed Hellcat was oddly silent, only the odd hum escaping the mindscape of Yugito's.

_**I fucking knew it!**_

Nibi's sudden shout startled the Kunoichi so badly that she jumped violently, the chopsticks in her hand snapping and clattering to the floor.

Strange looks were shot at Yugito, but she deflected them masterfully. "Kakashi's creepy giggles are making me fear for my chastity!" She shouted with wide, scared eyes.

Yuugao, who had turned to ask her student a question, froze mid-turn and stiffened. Potent Killing Intent washed over the room, aimed solely at the silver-haired scarecrow. With squeaky cracks and creaks that would not sound out of place coming from an over-stressed machine, Yuugao's head turned towards Kakashi, her eyes wide and her face expressionless, but more terrifying than the face of the Shinigami.

"Hatake…" Her voice was lower than a whisper, but still tolled like death sentence.

Kakashi chuckled nervously, before his single visible eye rolled up and he fainted away.

The purple-haired jonin rose and dragged Kakashi from the room, while Yugito conversed with her tenant. _What do you know, Nibi?_

_**I finally remembered what your blonde stud smells like! He smells like a dragon! For Mara's sake, how in Oblivion did I miss that shit?**_

Yugito's eyes widened. 'Mara' and 'Oblivion' were epithets that she had only heard Naruto use before, and from her experience, he was the only one. _Nibi-chan, what's going on?_

The hellcat's sigh sounded in her head. _**Wait until you sleep, kitten. I'll explain everything to you then, promise.**_

The blonde jinchuriki sighed quietly. _It better be good._

…

_The Next Day…_

"When Naruto wakes, can you send him to the bridge? We'll probably need him there before the day is out." Kakashi eye-smiled at Tsunami, the single mother nodding with a smile.

The group of genin and jonin, along with Tazuna, left for the bridge, certain that Zabuza and the fake hunter-nin would be there, along with reinforcements. The Demon Brothers had been very forthcoming with information, as the females were the majority and had no compunctions about hurting them in the worst way.

The entire group had prepared for a fight and was fully kitted and equipped, ready for anything.

"Kakashi and I should be enough to take on Zabuza. Sakura, I want you and Hanabi to guard Tazuna while Suki, Samui and Yugito take on his acquaintance and the back-up. Clear?" Yuugao glanced at everyone, seeing their nods of affirmation.

They came upon the bridge, the bodies of workers lying about it stiffly, some covered in cuts and others pinned with needles.

Thick mist drifted through the air, obscuring most of the bridge. From the mist, three figures emerged. One was Zabuza, carrying his cleaver on his shoulder; the other was the Haku in her hunter-nin outfit.

The final figure was a woman. She wore a black robe that was opened in the front, where her bandage-wrapped breasts could be seen. A circle with an upside triangle was emblemized on the front in blood-red, along with the same symbol hanging around her neck, a slashed Yugakure hitae-ite hanging there as well. She carried a large, vicious scythe with three blades casually across her shoulders, a bored look in her purple-pink eyes as she ran her fingers through her silvery-grey hair.

"It's about time you showed up, Kakashi." Zabuza sneered with a dark smile. "I hope you don't mind if I started the party a little earlier than intended."

Kakashi casually flicked his book closed and slid it into his pouch. "That depends, Zabuza. Are you going to run away again?"

The Former Kiri-Swordsman scoffed. "Heh. I'm not running anywhere, Hatake. This time, _I'm_ the one with the backup." He turned to the unnamed Kunoichi. "Satsuriku, you take the-"

Satsuriku interrupted Zabuza with an annoyed huff. "I don't take orders from you, Bitch. I'm just here for the blonde with fuckin' tattoos." Her eyes gleamed maliciously as they fell on Samui. "But I'll take you on, melon-chest. I haven't sacrificed anyone to Jashin-sama in two hours and I'm startin' to get antsy."

She swung her scythe around her body skillfully, bringing the blades to her mouth and licking them seductively. "Come on, Cow-tits. Let's see how your blood tastes."

Samui's right eye began to twitch violently, her knuckles turning white from the grip she had on her tanto. Her voice was calm, but with an undercurrent of rage underneath. "I'm going to kill you."

Satsuriku winked suggestively. "Promise?"

Within a blink, Samui had dashed across the space dividing them, her blade singing as it was swung towards Satsuriku's face.

The Jashinist lazily flicked her scythe, batting the strike away easily. "Is that all you got?" She taunted.

The tightening of Samui's eyes was the only indication of her irritation. Her blade came up again, and the battle was on.

Yugito pulled her claws on and dashed in to support her sister, along with Suki, but they were cut off by Haku appearing in front of them with senbon in between her fingers. "I'm sorry, but your opponent will be me."

The blonde jinchuriki's eyes narrowed, a scowl pulling her lips down. "Get out of my way!"

Haku ducked under a slash from Suki's kunai that meant to decapitate her, pushing Yugito away with a foot and flipping away. She ran through a few handseals and summoned water from under the bridge, which coalesced into three clones. "Just surrender, please. You will not win against me."

Suki's eye shifted into the Sharingan, two kunai in her hands. "We'll see about that."

Yuugao drew her katana, her eyes locked onto Zabuza. Kakashi pulled a scroll capped with white and unfurled it, biting his thumb through his mask and swiping it across the seal. A sheathed tanto appeared in his hands, the black handle with a circular guard familiar to all weapon-users. He pulled the blade from it's sheath, the silver metal glowing with a white light within.

It was eight inches long and straight, honed to a razor's edge and deadly.

Zabuza's eyes widened, as did Yuugao's. "That blade…" He breathed out in shock.

Kakashi twirled it dexterously between his fingers, leaving a trail of white light trailing behind it. "The White Light Chakra Saber. You should be glad, Zabuza. This is the first time I've used it against an enemy in years."

"How do you have that blade?!" Zabuza shouted. "It was destroyed during the Third War!"

Kakashi chuckled humorlessly. "You should remember, Zabuza, the first rule in the ninja hand book: Deception is a Shinobi's best friend."

The three jonin tensed and vanished in bursts of speed. To the eyes of Tazuna, Hanabi and Sakura, the only sign of conflict was sparks that appeared out of nowhere and the clash of metal as it rang out on the bridge.

…

_With Naruto…_

The half-dragon shinobi jerked awake, a line of drool connecting his face to his pillow. His eyes fluttered tiredly under his eyelids, scanning the room for whatever woke him up. Finding nothing, he closed his eyes and relaxed.

"If you touch him, I'll bite off my tongue and drown myself in my own blood!"

_Tsunami!_

Naruto was out of his bed and out of the door within seconds, his bow in one hand and dagger in the other. He came down the stairs in time to see Inari rush out of the doorway, the door itself lying on the ground, cut into pieces.

He pressed his body against the doorway, peeking an eye out to see what was happening.

He saw Inari rush at two thugs holding his mother hostage with a kitchen knife.

One of the thugs, wearing an eye-patch and no shirt, smirked and stepped forward, hands going to a rusty katana at his side. "I guess I'll get to cut something up after all!" he chuckled maliciously.

Naruto drew an arrow and knocked it to bow, pulling the string back quickly and quietly. He sighted onto the patch-wearing thug, holding his breath and flooding his veins with adrenaline. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, his muscles tensing.

Naruto released the arrow, arm already drawing another before it left the bowstring, knocking it just as quickly and loosing it at the other thug.

The first arrow pierced through the patch-wearing thug's head, knocking him on his back, dead before he could blink.

The second stabbed into the other thug's sword-arm, making him cry out and release Tsunami. She pulled herself out of his grasp and ran to Inari, holding him tightly.

Naruto dropped his bow and sprinted out of the house, jumping over Tsunami and Inari and shoulder-checking the thug into a tree. He back-handed the thug across the face, one hand clasping over his throat and squeezing harshly.

Naruto slammed the thug's head against the tree. "Where is Gato?" He growled angrily.

The thug wheezed out a laugh and shook his head. "Fuck you, man. Your friends aren't gonna survive today!"

Tsunami gasped and covered her mouth in horror. "Dad!"

The shinobi's eyes widened, before narrowing dangerously on the thug. "Is Gato going to be at the bridge?"

The thug chuckled and wheezed again. "Gato's a cheap bastard…he'll want to make sure his investments…_pay off_."

He laughed loudly, before Naruto's claws shifted from pinning him against the trunk, to piercing his neck. The thug gurgled on his own blood for a second, before purple lightning coursed through his body violently, disintegrating him into fine ash that blew away with the breeze.

Naruto turned to the mother and son duo with a serious visage. "Tsunami-chan, Inari. I want you to find a safe place and hide. Here, take this," He tossed Tsunami a black rock with a strange sigil embedded on it. "If you need my help, squeeze that rock and think of me, and I'll be there."

Naruto dashed back into the house and retrieved his sword and pouches, one full of shuriken and kunai, the other stocked full of vials. As he began to head to the bridge, he turned and gave Inari a thumb's-up and grin.

"That was very brave, Inari. You've got my respect." He praised, before disappearing into the trees.

Inari gaped at Naruto's back, before he gained a determined look that had long been absent from his face.

_I won't be a coward any more!_ He thought firmly.

…

_(At the Bridge…)_

Things weren't looking good for Samui, not at all. The crazy scythe-wielding psychopath was skilled with her scythe, though she didn't seem to know any jutsu.

Satsuriku laughed crazily as she swung her scythe with wild abandon. "Come on, Tits! Is dodging the only thing you can do?"

Samui threw herself to the ground to avoid a wide swing, rolling to her feet while flying through hand seals. "Raiton: Gian!"

A spear of lightning shot from her mouth and homed onto the nearest source of metal, the triple-bladed scythe, wielded by a blood-crazy psychopath.

Satsuriku screamed in pain as she was electrocuted, shuddering as thousands of volts flowed through her body.

Samui took advantage and dashed forward, stabbing her tanto through the woman's chest, past her ribs and into her right lung.

The silver-haired kunoichi gasped in pain as blood began to drip from her mouth…

"Just kidding!" She shouted cheerfully.

She shortened her grip on the scythe and slashed Samui across her ribs, narrowly missing anything vital and only splitting a few layers of skin, and then kicking her away with a strong right boot., leaving Samui's main weapon sticking out of her chest.

Samui sat up, clutching her back and hissing in pain at the unexpected strike. "What the hell?"

Satsuriku pulled the tanto from her chest and tossed it aside, uncaring of the blood that spilled down the front of her robes. "Not bad, Cow-Tits, you actually made me bleed." She smirked devilishly. "However, so did I."

Bringing the bloodied blade of her scythe to her mouth, the crazy kunoichi licked Samui's blood from the blade, sighing in contentment as her skin darkened and what looked like bones covered her features. The sigil of Jashin, an upside-down triangle in a circle, appeared beneath her feet.

She giggled as she withdrew a sharp spike and Samui began to run toward her, believing Satsuriku to be defenseless, and stabbed it into her left calve, giving it a vicious twist.

Samui cried out in pain as the same wound appeared on her left calve, bleeding heavily as she crashed to the ground.

"Yesss…" Satsuriku moaned in pleasure. "At this state, I am my most powerful, all thanks to Jashin-sama! Everything I do to myself, you feel!"

To illustrate this, she drew the sharp end of the spike across her cheek and chuckled gleefully as the same injury was mirrored on Samui's face.

"Now for my fun!"

She raised her spike and prepared to slam it into her stomach, when a pair of black-scaled hands latched onto her shoulders and hurled her away from the circle and into the side of the bridge. "Not this time!"

Samui looked up to see Naruto standing in front of her, his face in a snarling visage and his eyes red with his sword and dagger in his hands, his teeth bared and blackened like the fangs of a monster.

Satsuriku shot up from the ground, grabbing her scythe and screaming, "You fucking son of bitch! How dare you interrupt my ceremony?!"

Her pink eyes landed on him and recognized the features that Jashin-sama had described to her previously. "I'm gonna rip your balls off!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes on her as he dipped one hand into a pouch, pulling a small, light-red phial and dropping next to Samui. "Take that, Samui-chan, it'll help. Then get away from here, I'm not very good with collateral damage."

He shouted out, "**WULD!"** and vanished in a blur of speed towards Satsuriku as Samui reached for the potion.

His sword clashed with the haft of her scythe and was deflected away, Naruto dodging under the psycho kunoichi's enraged swings. It only took a few seconds for Naruto to realize that he was out-classed by Satsu. Her scythe had range, and as long as she had it, he couldn't come in close.

Fortunately, he had something for that.

Satsu swung her scythe overhead and brought it down strongly with a yell of anger. Naruto deflected the blades away with his dagger and pushed forward, locking his sword and her scythe together and taking a deep breath.

"**ZUN!"** A wave of pale air ripped both of their weapons away and threw them across the bridge with a clatter, leaving Naruto with his dagger.

Satsu had been taken by surprise by whatever it is Naruto had done, to the point that it allowed the blond that opening he needed.

Naruto threw his weight into a shoulder tackle and pushed the kunoichi back, stumbling her, and shouted, **"FUS!"**, releasing a wave of energy that hurled Satsu back, into a large stack of stones about to be used for the bridge.

Before she could recover, Naruto was there, with both his dagger and her ritual spike. He gave her a hard right to the temple and pinned her left hand to the stone with his dagger, followed by left hook that dazed her again and pinned her other hand with the spike.

Naruto made frost flow over his hand, and with a flick of his wrist and _*shing*_, he held a spike made of ice and stabbed it roughly into Satsuriku's forehead, her expression of shock frozen as her entire head turned into ice.

The blonde sighed in relief and wiped his brow. "Just in case," He muttered to himself, making a fist and bringing it down on her head, shattering her visage into a million pieces. "Now for the gross part…"

Naruto took a deep, steadying breath, then plunged his hand into the corpse's chest, rooting around inside until he found what he needed, and ripped the heart out.

He gazed at the appropriately bloody organ in confusion. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

A presence creeped into his mind like a soft fog, and suddenly, words began to spill out of his mouth in a strange, deep and guttural language that he couldn't understand. His attention was drawn away from his mouth to the heart in his hands, which began to glow a deep, almost toxic red.

His body threw the heart onto the ground, half-way between him and Satsu's corpse, where it burst into a circle of lava, around three feet wide.

Naruto stared at it in confusion as it bubbled and frothed for no apparent reason. He jumped in surprise when he heard almost ethereal giggles that emanated from the puddle, along with slender arms and three-fingered hands that were followed by what seemed to be horned, naked women made out of pure fire.

These flame-women giggled and reached for the dead kunoichi, pulling her from the implements that impaled her on the stones and dragging the body into the lava. He was confused even further when one of the flame-women giggled and appeared to wink at him, beckoning him with a crooked finger to join them in the lava.

"**Naruto,"** Alduin spoke from Naruto's mind, **"You have just succeeded in gaining Mehrunes' favor. It is not his style to kill those who do so."**

"_**Not immediately, anyway."**_ Kyuubi commented from her cage, which had been transformed into a large red cushion that was supported by a throne made of bones, and a lake of lava surrounding her. _**"My father asked you to perform a task for him, which you have completed. If it is one thing, Daedric Lords do not renege on bargains struck. You were promised a reward, and you will get it. Whether or not he kills you afterward is up to his mood."**_

Naruto rolled his eyes at her comments, but trusted the idea behind them. Taking a fortifying breath, he stepped up to the circle and jumped in, leaving behind a shocked and gaping Samui.

…

_**{Mehrunes' Realm of Oblivion}**_

His first thought when he opened his eyes, was that bubbling lava made for really crappy lighting. And it was true.

Despite the lava fields around him, it was dark like twilight, tinged with red. Off in the distance, he could hear screams of terror and explosions, as well as maniacal laughter. _**"Ah, home. How I've missed you."**_ Kyuubi sighed wistfully.

He found himself of a bridge made of black metal with red-edged spikes lining the edges, over a river of bubbling molten rock. He could barely see a gigantic throne near the edge of his vision. The only person he knew that would have a throne here would be Mehrunes. Shrugging in defeat, Naruto set off for the throne, all senses on high alert for possible danger.

As he made his way through the fields, he came across many horrifying sights, mangled and mutilated corpses that had been stabbed on pikes and left to hang, burnt and dismembered limbs lying about, and other things of that nature.

This didn't faze Naruto. While shocking the first time around, it stopped scaring him after that. He also realized that some of these corpses still carried pouches or small bags that were intact.

Searching through them, he found several things of interest, including gold coins, most of which had a man's profile stamped on them, along with phials of health and stamina potions. He even found, on a corpse that looked to have once been a very wealthy individual, (if the gold trimmed armor that had been melted onto the body was any indication) a large formation of glowing blue crystals that he recognized as a Grand Soul Gem.

He was nearing the throne when the sound of claws scraping over stone drew his attention to his left, as a dark figure dashed from the bushes with a screech and tackled him to the ground. Its' rancid breath made him recoil, before he drew his feet back and kicked up, throwing the creature away with a muffled sound of pain.

Naruto rolled to his feet and grabbed for his sword and dagger. "Fuck!" He cursed, just now realizing that he had left both behind, just as the figure jumped on him again.

His left hand seized the creature's throat and pushed it away as it scratched at his face with dirty claws as his right hand scrabbled over the ground, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. He found purchase and grasped it, swinging the large rock he had grabbed into the creature's head with dull _thunk_.

The creature groaned and tipped over, dark blood flowing from its' head. Naruto pushed himself to his feet, the rock in his hand ready for use.

His eyes fell on the creature, which he recognized as a Scamp. It was only about four feet tall, with pointed ears and no hair, with scales that covered most of it's body. The eyes had dimmed with death, but he took no chances that the damn thing wouldn't jump up again, and stomped on its' head.

Dropping the rock, Naruto crossed the last bridge, this one decorated with impaled corpses as a change from the usual.

Sitting on the throne was a giant being, with four-arms and red skin like the lava around the plain, was Mehrunes Dagon. The Daedric Lord smirked down Naruto, one head being used a rest for his head. **"Did you have fun, mortal?"**

Naruto gave him a bored look and scratched the side of his face with a talon. "Kinda. I've done what you asked of me. I believe there was a reward involved?"

The Daedric Prince chuckled and began to shrink, until he was just nine feet tall. **"There is indeed a reward. I think you'll enjoy them."**

The blond narrowed his eyes on Mehrunes suspiciously. "Them? From what I understand, you usually gave your dagger as a reward."

Mehrunes laughed and shook his head. **"A dagger that has a chance to kill anything with one strike? Boring. I reclaimed that artifact long ago. No, believe that I have something more fitting for you."** He turned and whistled with a grin. **"Don't be shy now, come say hello to your new master."**

_Master?_ Naruto thought with shock. _Master to whom?_

"This fucking sucks…" A familiar, feminine voice muttered from behind his throne, followed by another voice, this one song-like and ethereal. **"Oh, hush you. Lord Dagon is doing you a favor. He **_**should **_**have thrown you to the Torture Pits and let the dremora have their way with you."**

Satsuriku came out from behind the throne, whole and alive, followed by one of the fire-women Naruto had seen earlier, though this one was wearing armor on the hands and feet, along the jaw and torso.

The fire-woman spotted Naruto and raced over to him, floating several inches off of the ground and leaving a trail of fire on the ground behind her. She circled around him in excitement, the air heating up as she spun.

"**Ooh, he's cute! And I get to keep him, too!"** She chattered excitedly, tracing one of her three flaming fingers around his body and his face. He expected that she would burn him, even with his resistance to fire with being a mostly-dragon. Instead, it was hot, but pleasantly so, even when she draped her arms over his shoulders and rubbed her cheek against his.** "We're going to have so much fun! Hot fun!"**

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that. The specifics of 'hot fun' and its' connotations escaped him, as well as the possibility of such a thing.

"Woohoo." Satsu cheered blandly with her arms crossed over her bust, a bored look on her face.

Mehrunes laughed and patted her on the shoulder roughly. **"Cheer up. Trouble follows this one like an earthquake after a tsunami. You won't be bored."**

The flame-woman was stroking Naruto's cheek softly, giggling as he nuzzled it like a big cat. The Daedric Prince snapped his fingers and drew their attention. **"It is now time for you to leave my realm. Say goodbye for now, Ember."**

The hot woman pouted (even though she had no defining facial features, they just knew), and huffed slightly. **"Fine." ** She smiled and grabbed Naruto's face, turning his head until he was facing her. **"I'll be seeing you very soon, okay sweetie?"**

Before he could answer, she kissed his left cheek with a sizzle. A runic sigil was branded onto Naruto's cheek, glowing an angry red as Ember appeared to be sucked into it.

Naruto rubbed the pain away, feeling the contours of the brand on his face, when Mehrunes spoke again. **"Before you go, Naruto, I have one last gift for you."**

The blond turned to Mehrunes, a question of his generosity in his mouth…and then the Lord of Chaos stuck his hand into Naruto's forehead.

His eyes went wide with shock, before the blue was eclipsed by red, and that red began to glow brightly. A snarl twisted his face and an enraged growl escaped his mouth, his fangs growing larger, his hair darkening to black and the markings on his face gaining a red outline. Scales erupted out of his feet, ripping the sandals he wore to pieces and covering his leg over the shin with a cacophony of crunching and twisting bones and cartilage.

Mehrunes smirked at his handy-work and dismissed Naruto from his plane by tossing him very casually into the nearby lava. Satsuriku followed with a maliciously gleeful yell and dived into the lava right behind him.

The Lord of Chaos smirked evilly and sat back on his throne and opened a viewing portal to Nirn. **"Have fun, mortal."**

…

_(The Bridge, Minutes Before…)_

Zabuza panted as he tried to catch his breath, leaning on his zanbato. The fight had not gone well with the two former ANBU, the only thing saving his pork belly from becoming bacon being his mastery of the Kirigakure Jutsu and the Silent Homicide techniques.

Kakashi, while out of practice with his Saber, was still an old hand with it, and deadly at close range.

Yuugao had more range with her katana, and she was a master of her unique kenjutsu, one she had developed with her brother.

The bandaged jonin hefted his sword onto his shoulder, ready to take the jonin on again, when his mist blew away, and not by his volition.

The two jonin tensed, sensing a foreign chakra dispersing Zabuza's jutsu. "Naruto!" Hanabi's and Samui's voice called out in horror, her voice nearly cracking.

The mist faded and the jonin prepared to fight…until a scroll, bearing the insignia of Kiri bounced off of Zabuza's forehead and landed in his open hand.

"Hey, Momo-chan…long time no see." A sultry voice called out, intermixed with gloating and victory.

Zabuza froze. _That voice…no fucking way!_ "Mei?"

A woman strode out of the mist, her arms crossed under her bust with a gleeful smirk on her face and malicious intent in her visible eye. "Why, hello."

All of the blood drained from his face, terror visible in his eyes. "You!"

On the other side of the bridge, a dome made of ice mirrors shattered loudly with shout of "Zabuza-sama!" as a figure wearing Kiri hunter-nin garb appeared at his side, ready to fight despite the cuts that littered her clothes.

Zabuza shakily pointed his sword at the voluptuous woman and yelled, "What are you doing here?!"

The woman shook her head and tutted in disappointment. "Haven't you heard? I won the little bet we made in Academy. You know what that means…"

The jonin blinked, before he became even more pale, if possible. "No…NO!"

Mei threw her head back and gave an evil laugh that echoed throughout the bridge. "That's right! I became Mizukage before you! That means I get ten years of free missions from you!"

Zabuza shook his head wildly. "No it doesn't!" He shouted in fear. "I'm a missing nin!"

She pointed a sharp, blue fingernail at the scroll still clutched in his hand. "Not according to the official pardon you're holding."

The eyebrow-less jonin fell to his knees and screamed to the sky in despair. "NOOOOO!"

Haku watched with a questioning face, an embarrassed blush at her mentor's actions lighting up her face.

As this was happening, Yuugao had rushed to Samui and was holding the girl as she stared at a burnt section of the bridge in shock. "What happened, Samui? Where's Naruto?"

Suki and Yugito only heard her sentence before they understood what the blonde's babbling meant. "No…Naruto…" Suki whispered to herself, tears beginning to run from her eyes as they burned angrily in their sockets. _I should have helped him! I…I…should have been there! This is all my fault!_ She thought desperately as her tears turned to blood.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here…" A slimy voice spoke from the unfinished edged of the bridge, joined by a multitude of shuffling.

They looked up to see a short man with orange hair, holding a cane with one arm wrapped in bandages. He was smirking in victory. "I'd thank that tattooed weirdo if he wasn't dead. That's one less expensive ninja I have to pay."

Yugito's eyes slit in anger as she began to unconsciously draw on the Nibi's chakra.

Gato ignored this and pointed at the ninja with his cane. "The one who kills the most, gets the most."

The jonin traded looks of incredulity. Kakashi, Zabuza and Yuugao may have been tired, but this crowd of thugs would be now match for them, especially with Mei, Sakura, Hanabi and the Former Kumo kunoichi backing them up.

The crowd of thugs roared and charged with various weapons waving in the air as the ninja prepared to fight.

The mob skidded to a stop as a section of the stones in front of them began to blacken and heat began to radiate.

With a great roar, Naruto burst from the lava, his face twisted in a snarl, his scales thicker and more prominent than ever with talons fully extended, hands and feet.

He made a terrifying visage, with his glowing red eyes and tattoos, including the new one on his cheek, lava dripping from him and hissing as it hit the ground.

He drew his head back roared to the sky, the previously sunny day becoming overcast quickly.

Terror wormed its' way into the hearts of everyone, even the jonin.

With another roar of anger, Naruto charged into the group without a care, and began to slaughter the thugs carelessly with his claws, blood flying and soaking the bridge with the screams of terror from the dying.

Yuugao and Kakashi watched in slight horror and concern. They had seen such things before, and on occasion, done such things themselves. The concern was for Naruto; he was attacking like a berserker, without any care for injury. They knew that they needed to calm him down; however, the easiest way to stop a berserker was to let them sate their blood-thirst.

Zabuza and Mei observed the slaughter with focused and examining eyes. They had grown up in 'The Bloody Mist', and they had seen something like this during the Academy. The eyebrow-less swordsman took notes while the Mizukage watched intensely, an almost unnoticeable tint of pink in her cheeks.

The girls couldn't watch, it was too horrifying, seeing the one they loved tear men apart with his bare hands.

The bandits finally understood that attacking someone mostly covered in protective armor when Naruto ripped man in half with an angry roar, and began to back away, pushing others forward to take his attacks.

The enraged shinobi recognized that his opponents were fleeing, and not having the metal capacity for magic at that time, fell back on his bestial instincts. He drew a deep breath and unleashed a torrent of white-hot flames from his mouth, incinerating the closest enemies and igniting ones further away.

Satsuriku, having pulled herself out of the lava while everyone was distracted, watched with half-lidded, glazed eyes and a heavy blush. She was even panting in excitement and arousal as she watched her new master slaughter with impunity.

Inside Yugito's mind, a furious debate was raging between jinchuriki and Biju. **"Kitten, you must! You don't have the ability to perform the spell yet!"**

_No!_ She replied, _How do I know you won't take over my body?_

The Nibi growled inside her cage. **"You know me better than that, Yugito! Would you rather have your fiancé murder everyone here, including you and you friends? I **_**know**_** Mehrunes Dagon! That's the kind of shit he enjoys!"**

The blonde jinchuriki winced in sympathy as Naruto took a slash from an unlucky bandit across the face. The wound healed in mere seconds, but the damage was done, and Naruto eviscerated the man angrily. _…Alright, do it! I'm trusting you!_

The Nibi smiled to herself and nodded. **"You won't regret it! Get ready!"**

Yugito licked her lips nervously and felt an odd pulling sensation in her mind. _Okay!_

A rumble filled her mind, and all of a sudden, she was in her mindscape, sitting on a large cushion with the Nibi's shout echoing in her head. **"I am assuming direct control!"**

Yugito's body slumped slightly and her eye glazed over, before snapping straight to reality. Her sclera darkened to black and her irises became a deeper turquoise and slit, glowing with an otherworldly light, and the faint outline of a jewel was visible on her head.

Nibi dashed forward with her hands encased in a soothing, deep green light. **"Hey, stud!"** Her voice was overlapped oddly, both her voice and Yugito's at the same time. **"Catch!"**

Drawn to her shout, Naruto spun around and growled at her, right in time to catch an orb of green light to the chest. A wave of green washed over his body, erasing the red from his eyes and tattoos, and bringing his hair color back to blond, bringing him to his knees as the adrenaline brought on by his enragement fled him rapidly.

Naruto hit the ground, panting in exhaustion, vaguely hearing a woman shouting out, "Buzz Kill!" He took one of his stamina potions out of his pouch and drank it down, sighing in relief as felt his stamina returning.

Naruto examined the bridge and his gory decorations wearily, shaking his head. "I knew Mehrunes was going to do something like this…" He muttered to himself.

A clatter pulled his attention to the remaining thugs and Gato, who had pulled courage from somewhere unknown and was now smirking confidently. "Get him, men! He's weak!"

From a crowd of two hundred thugs, there were now only eight remaining. In Naruto's defense, they had been tightly packed by the bridge, and taken by surprise.

Again remembering that his main weapons were on the other side of the bridge, Naruto cast his gaze around for any discarded weapons nearby, landing on a pair of shoddily made axes. He didn't have time to be picky, so he grabbed them and charged to meet the thugs, a rain of shuriken buzzing around him to cut the remaining bandits down to four.

The first led off with a desperate lunge; Naruto deflected his blade down and away and spun quickly, severing the thug's head at the neck.

The next wielded a homemade spear with weak wood. The head of his blade was dodged, followed by a chop from the axe that halved the length of the spear. The thug stared in surprise, leaving him wide open for Naruto to cut his arms off at the elbow, followed by a quick slice across the neck that killed him.

The third charged, screaming at the top of his lungs and slashing wildly as Naruto turned from his last kill. The blonde didn't even have to try; a kunai zipped past him and was buried up to the hilt in the thug's throat, and he died with a bloody gurgle. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the woman with long red hair wink at him, and he nodded back in thanks.

The last carried a pair of long knives. His first slash was parried away to the left, and his next was deflected into the air, leaving his gut wide open for Naruto to knee him. He bent over Naruto's knee, gasping as the air was crushed from his lungs, and then Naruto planted one axe into the back of his skull.

Naruto dropped the last body to the ground as sharp clacks signaled Gato fleeing the scene, cane forgotten on the ground.

Gato didn't even need to be chased; he tripped on one of the mis-set stones and was thrown to his knees. He didn't even try to rise, he just crawled frantically away.

Naruto watched with slight pity. This man, so arrogant in his money, running like a child who came face-to-face with the Devil. And then that pity shriveled and died. This rat had killed a man in front of a crowd of people and children, and enslaved an entire village to increase his wealth.

Gato deserved a painful death.

Anger flashed in Naruto's eyes as he began to step forward, following Gato with long strides that closed the distance. "For Kaiza…" He spoke softly, but his voice carried on the air easily. "For Tsunami…" His pace increased as the short man scrabbled away as fast as he could. "For Inari…" Flames flickered over Naruto's hands, catching the blood that soaked his body alight like a torch. "And for everyone you killed…" Naruto reached Gato and kicked him onto his back, raising a flaming hand high. "Die!"

The blonde stabbed his hand down, into Gato's stomach and unleashed his flames, watching in satisfaction as the rat belched fire and blackened as the heat scorched him into a burnt, dead husk.

Naruto withdrew his hand from the pile of ashes and stood, sighing and turning back to his comrades. He was afraid to see their reactions. He couldn't help it; when his blood began to rush and pound in his ears, he became far more brutal than was necessary.

Kakashi and Yuugao had sorrowful eyes. They knew what he was feeling. The Nibi had relinquished her hold on Yugito's body, allowing the blonde to come back to herself. The jinchuriki supported her sister, whose wounds had healed but she was still sore. The two blondes watched as their fiancé began to walk back towards them with concerned expressions. They knew he was tough, but no one really comes out of a slaughter the same as they went in.

Hanabi and Suki dealt with it better than others, Hanabi having been raised into the lifestyle of ninjas since birth. Although the same could be said for Suki, her real experience came from the Uchiha Massacre, and she watched with an emotionless face.

Sakura was a pale, sickly green and her legs were trembling in fear, but her shoulders were set and she tried to present a steady image.

The only one who matched Sakura was Haku, and she had left to throw up over the side of the bridge. Zabuza had sat himself against the railing of the bridge to rest, while had crossed her arms and watched, a small smirk on her lips.

Satsuriku…was not to be described in civilized company.

Naruto was relieved. They didn't shy away from him. And that meant the world to him.

Suddenly, his strength faded and he stumbled, but Mei, being the nearest, threw his arm over her shoulders and supported him with her arm around his waist. "Easy there, killer. You don't want to fall in all of this blood."

The blond nodded his thanks and let her half-carry him back to the group. Kakashi eyed the Ex-Kiri-nin and the Mizukage warily. "Are you still our enemies? Your employer is dead."

Zabuza shook his head in resignation. "Not anymore. With Gato dead and me being reinstated as a Kiri-nin, my previous contract is void now."

Mei smiled in a rather blood-thirsty fashion. "That's right. 'No Kirigakure ninja can enter into a contract with another party without the noted consent of the Mizukage. Doing so is grounds for demotion and punishment.' I believe that means, Momo-chan, that you are a genin now."

The swordsman jumped to his feet with rage in his eyes. "What?! I was a jonin when I defected!"

The auburn-haired woman shook her head and pointed to herself. "Mizukage, remember?" She grunted as Naruto stumbled. "Damn, why do you weigh so much, killer?"

Naruto panted and shook one of his feet with some effort. "My bloodline is turning me into a dragon. Dragons are about thirty feet long, full grown. Compacting the bones and the organs meant for something that big into my frame makes them really heavy." He narrowed his eyes on her. "And stop calling me killer. I have a name."

Satsu joined them, holding her scythe and Naruto's blades. "That we don't know, master."

She glanced at Samui, who had her tanto to the kunoichi's throat with boredom on her features. "Cool it, Cow-tits. I'm on your side."

The blonde woman scowled and pressed her blade against Satsu's neck. "And how do we know that?" She growled.

Satsu sighed gestured to the Jashin pendant hanging around her neck. "My Lord Jashin-sama has decreed that, since master over there killed me, actually killed me, I'm his fuckin' servant now." She gazed at Naruto with her light pink eyes slightly glazed and licked her lips lustily. "Though, if you keep getting involved in slaughters like this, I think we'll get along just fine. Better than fine, even…_master_."

A crowd of villagers had shown up with make-shift weapons, but found that they had no purpose without any enemies. Tazuna rapidly took charge and directed them to take care of the injured workers as Tsunami approached the larger group of ninjas with Inari. "What happened? Where's Gato?"

Naruto pointed to the far edge of the bridge, where a small pile of ashes was drifting away on the wind. "Over there. He's not very recognizable anymore." He smiled tiredly at the older woman. "Can we go back to your house? Most of us are pretty tired and could use some rest."

Tsunami looked over the group with a nervous face. "S-sure. Some of you might have to double up, though."

Mei and Satsu giggled in disturbing synchronicity. "I don't think that'll be a problem!" The Mizukage said cheerfully, ignoring the suspicious glares from the Konoha females.

As they walked, Mei poked Naruto's side. "You never did tell me your name, y'know."

The blond sighed as he limped. "It's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Speaking of names, what's yours?" He asked, twisting his head to look at her face.

Mei had nearly frozen in shock at the name. _Uzumaki? He looks nothing like an Uzumaki!_ "You don't look like an Uzumaki. Every recorded Uzumaki has red hair." She stated, slightly coldly.

Naruto brushed a clawed hand through his blond locks ruefully. "Yeah, I know. My mom had red hair. I guess I take after my dad more in that department."

"Oh? What was her name?" She asked, totally focused on Naruto's response, missing the strange looks being shot at her from Zabuza and the Konoha jonin.

The blond tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Uzumaki…Kushina, I believe. Yuugao-sensei was one of her students, right?" He asked, looking to his violet-haired sensei for confirmation.

Yuugao nodded and patted the katana slung across her back. "Indeed. Kushina-sensei taught me almost everything I know. If I had been a water-type, she would have."

Mei narrowed her eyes, in thought, chewing her lower lip. _If he is an Uzumaki, than I still have a chance…if he's not…whoops._ She smiled at Naruto and drew his face closer to hers. "I have a lot of history for to catch up on. I'm Mei Terumi, Godaime Mizukage." She pressed her lips to his cheek and channeled a bit of chakra to her mouth, slipping her tongue barely out of her mouth and licking his cheek. _I hope this works…_

Naruto gave her a strange look. "What kind of history?"

Mei gave a happy grin as Naruto didn't cry out in pain and begin to melt. "The kind that is best told in private…_kon'yaku-sha._"

…

_(Three Days Later…)_

Over three days, all of Wave had chipped in to finish the bridge, riding on the death of Gato and the sacking of his estate, which led to the villagers recovering all of the money stolen from them, along with property and food.

Naruto had spent most of the time getting used to his new weight, trying to gain back some of his agility. After spending the first night in the company of Mei, Satsuriku and Tsunami, he and the Mizukage had spent the day holed up in the basement, talking. When they emerged, Naruto was thoughtful and quiet the whole night.

Come the next day, the Kiri-nin, including the Demon Brothers, said their good-bye's and headed back to Kirigakure. Before they left, Mie handed Naruto a scroll meant for just for him, and another scroll to Kakashi detailing a treaty between Konoha and Kiri. A heavily blushing Haku had given the blond a small sculpture made of ice of an Acacia flower that would never melt.

On the third day, the last stone was set, and the bridge completed, to loud cheers that could be heard from Iwa.

"Today is a great day for our village!" Tazuna proclaimed in front of a large crowd, consisting of all the villagers in Wave. "Thanks to the Konoha ninja, we are free from the tyranny of Gato! It is to them that I dedicate this bridge! The Great Savior Bridge! May stand for all time!"

Thunderous cheers sounded from the crowd and became a large party.

Tazuna approached the ninja with a giddy smile. "Are you sure you can't stay any longer? The party's just getting started."

Yuugao shook her head ruefully. "Unfortunately not. If we stay out too long, the Hokage may send out Hunter-nin to retrieve us."

Tsunami gave Naruto a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, for all you've done." She whispered in his ear, happy-yet-sorrowful tears streaming down her cheeks.

Naruto just squeezed her tightly. "Remember, anytime you need me, just think of me while holding the stone and I'll be there."

The ninja shook hands with the family and began to set off, back to Konoha, with a psycho kunoichi in tow.

…

_(Konoha, Hokage's Office…)_

"I'm sorry, what?" Sarutobi asked in shock. "Care to run that by me again?"

Kakashi and Yuugao stood in front of the Hokage, reporting on their successful mission. On the way, they had met up Team 8, on their way to get a C-Rank.

The teams were in the room, chatting quietly as the two jonin reported. Kiba was sulking in a corner, supremely annoyed at all of the female attention Naruto was in the middle of. Sakura was chatting with Hinata and Hanabi, while the two blonde sisters kept to themselves, leaning against a wall and watching the room. They noticed that, on occasion, Kurenai, a raven-haired and voluptuous jonin would occasionally brush a hand over the scales covering Naruto's arms, shivering slightly and whispering to Naruto quietly. Satsuriku had taken a seat on the couch, her scythe leaned against the wall and her chin planted on her hand.

The Sandaime rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Alright. You'll receive the payment for a B-Rank mission, and it'll go on file as such. Now, if you'll excuse me, Team Eight needs a mission and I need to file all of this paperwork."

The Teams left after saying good-bye to Team Eight. Yuugao turned to her genin with a small smile. "We have a week off, so meet me at our Training Ground a week from now, okay? You guys deserve a break." She waved and left, headed somewhere to relax.

The blonds and Satsuriku began to head off into the village, towards their apartments. They were ready to relax, unwind and enjoy their free time…

"I'm fucking bored!" Satsu shouted angrily. "I need to sacrifice someone to Jashin-sama! I haven't killed anyone in nearly a week! This is unacceptable!"

Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. If only his life was easy…

…

**A/N: Yo. Long time, no see. **

**Notes on this chapter: The aftermath of the Wave Arc and an explanation on Naruto's Dragon Bloodline. Also, they meet Mei Terumi, the Godaime Mizukage who has an odd interest in Naruto and his Uzumaki heritage. Also, you get to see Mehrunes Dagon and his idea of 'rewards'. A berserker state, a bloodthirsty immortal kunoichi, and a chipper Flame Atronach. **

**After I mentioned that the Fem-Jashinist would be an OC, I got a lot of reviews stating their displeasure with not Gender-Bending Hidan. **

**Ha! I lied! It is a Fem-Hidan, just under a different name. 'Satsuriku' means 'Slaughter', by the way. It was hard to find a feminine-sounding name that had a bloody meaning.**

**Also, some Nibi-Yugito interaction. If you can spot the hidden Sci-Fi reference, you win.**

**I won't make a promise on when the next chapter's going to come out, or make a timeline, because that's just asking for writer's block, again. I will state, however, that I already have a good idea of where the next is going to go.**

**Review.**

**Stay Awesome!**

**~Soleneus**

**Ps: I would also like to state that it's really funny when people review stories I haven't touched in years and ask me when I'm going to update.**


	5. The Feelings Chapter

Chapter 5: The Light in the Distance

OR

The Talking/Feelings/Flashbacks Chapter of Non-Action-Packed Content

(Also, the Sexy Chapter)

**A/N: I don't usually make author's notes before the chapter, but I felt that I needed to.**

**This version of Naruto is based on what I feel a realistic ninja village would be like, so don't be surprised when someone like Anko talks about the sex she's had with a younger guy. Ninja's live fast and hard, where the next mission could be their last. That leaves very little room for regrets or sexual tension.**

**Just so you know.**

Naruto shifted Satsu on his back, where he carried her piggy-back. The psychotic kunoichi twitched in her sleep and mumbled incomprehensively, licking the back of Naruto's neck with a small smile on her face.

The mostly-dragon glanced over his shoulder at Satsu in wonderment. It was shocking how peaceful she could look in her sleep. She looked soft, innocent and beautiful. She was beautiful. But it was a shocking contrast to her waking personality, which was anything but soft and innocent, and far more bloodthirsty and violent.

Naruto blushed lightly at remembering the last mission the two of them had gone on. As it was, Satsu had developed an addiction to killing, and going without spilling blood for a lengthy amount of time made her irritable and violent, more so than usual, anyhow.

In response, The Sandaime had given them a relatively easy mission to a small town within Hi no Kuni's borders, where the governor's daughter had been kidnapped by bandits.

Naruto waved his registration to the Gate Guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, who let him pass with a nod and knowing looks on their faces.

As Naruto made his way to the Hokage Tower, several people gave him strange or concerned looks, as both he and Satsu were covered in blood.

…Maybe that should have been mentioned earlier.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork as his door slid open, admitting the blood-covered pair into the room. "Naruto! Are you injured?"

The blond shook his head negatively. "Not my blood. The mission was completed, here's the scroll and payment, but we ran across another bandit camp on the way back."

The Sandaime sighed and shook his head with a small smile. "Very well. Report, Genin Uzumaki."

Naruto straightened as well as he could with Satsu on his back and began to recount his mission. "Satsu and I arrived at Sho-chou two days ago, where the Governor, Kimaru Kenishi, informed us of our mission, which was to retrieve his daughter, Kimaru Kimiko, who had been kidnapped for ransom by a local group bandits." He paused to shift Satsu into a more comfortable position. "We tracked the bandits to a clearing, about three miles away from the village, where they had made camp. I planted several flash-bang tags around the bandits secretly and set them off, blinding most of the camp. We moved in and dispatched every bandit, even the leader, and recovered Kimiko…"

_(Flashback…)_

_Naruto twisted the man's arm and kicked the back of his knees, bringing him to the ground. He grabbed the man's shoulder and leveled him onto his knees, bringing down four heavy punches into his face, shattering his face and breaking his neck with loud snap._

_He let the dead body drop as Satsu stabbed herself in the left lung, relishing the screams of pain as the last bandit began to hack blood and collapse, twitching._

_She sighed in disappointment as the white marks and black skin faded. "Kami, what a pussy! Can't even take a little internal bleeding! And these guys call themselves bandits?"_

_The two headed to the main tent, where they could hear quiet whimpers. Naruto brushed the tent flap aside and was immediately beset by a man wielding a dagger in his hand._

_The blonds' hands were occupied, stopping the man from stabbing him in the chest. Naruto did the only thing he could. He head-butted the man viciously, and while he was dazed, roared and released a torrent of flames from his mouth and into the man's face. The fire died from his lips and he dropped the headless corpse with the cauterized neck to the ground, once again approaching the cage that held a woman inside._

_She was, according to her father, sixteen years old. She had long black hair that was frazzled from the stress and rough handling of the bandits._

"_Kimiko?" Naruto asked gently, making the girl jump._

_He could see her terrified green eyes peer at him from underneath the fringe of her bangs. "Who is it?"_

_The mostly-dragon ripped the padlock from the door easily and moved inside slowly, kneeling in front of the girl. "My name is Naruto. Your father hired us to rescue you."_

_The girl shifted shakily and looked up into his face. She had a heart shaped face, with a small nose and full lips, with a light dusting of freckles across her face, though those were mostly hidden behind the blush that covered her entire neck and face. She shifted again, and this time Naruto noticed that she was rubbing her legs together. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern._

_Kimiko shook her head and twitched. "N-no…they gave me some drug…they said they wanted me to beg them!"_

_He grasped her shoulders gently, retracting his scales and talons. "Beg for what?"_

_For a civilian, she had some good strength in those arms. With alarming speed, she grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and flipped him onto the small mat she had been sleeping on, straddling his waist with a wildly lustful gleam in her eyes. "Beg for release!" She shouted, slamming her lips onto his forcefully and forcing her tongue into his mouth as she ground her crotch against his._

_Pushing her off, Naruto shouted for Satsu. "Satsu! Don't just stand there!" He had to resist the feeling of Kimiko sucking on his neck as she rubbed her breasts on his chest._

_Satsu watched in amusement, before shrugging. "Okay." She dropped her scythe and her robes, throwing the bandages covering her breasts away with her blood-red panties and jumped into the pile, to Naruto's kind-of dismay._

"_Satsu!"_

_(Flashback End)_

Naruto coughed into one hand, trying to hide his blush. He looked up to see Sarutobi smirking in amusement. "I'm not a child, Naruto. I know what sex is." He nodded at the blond. "Continue."

The mostly-dragon continued his report. "After we woke up the next morning, Satsu and I gathered the loot that the bandits had collected and returned most of it to Governor Kenishi, along with his daughter. He paid us and we began to make our way back. About eight miles away from Konoha, we came across another bandit encampment, though this one only contained a small group of eight bandits and the chest they were guarding…"

_(Flashback…again)_

_Naruto drummed the talons of his right hand against his chin in thought. "Should we wait for them to fall asleep or just hit them with an explosive tag?"_

_While he mulled over his thoughts, Satsu leaned against a tree in boredom, just wanting to kill the bandits. A devious grin curled her lips as she remembered something Jashin had told her. Biting her tongue, making it bleed, she approached Naruto and spun him around, crushing her lips to his and forcing her tongue into his mouth._

_Naruto tried to push her off, until he tasted blood…a red mist crept over his vision, and an angry roar was the last thing he heard…_

…

_Naruto shot awake, whipping his head around in confusion. A groan to his right drew his attention to Satsu, who was naked and covered in blood and…other stuff. Glancing around, Naruto felt his stomach churn at the sight._

_The camp that had previously held eight vagrants had been torn apart, along with the bandits. Blood, organs and what used to be body parts were strewn about the clearing messily._

_Naruto's stomach flip-flopped in his body as Satsu cuddled into his side with a moan. "Oh, master…"_

_A look at his own body added to the terrible feeling in his gut. He was also covered in blood and…other stuff._

_Naruto lurched onto his knees and emptied his stomach, and that didn't help either. The contents of his stomach contained various pieces of meat that he could tell from experience only belonged to one animal: humans._

_With a splash, he vomited more._

…

_Naruto recovered by shooting fire out of his mouth, trying desperately to rid himself of the taste of human flesh via burning. He had dressed himself and Satsu, though both of their sets of clothes were also soaked in blood._

_He approached the chest with embers still burning in his mouth and opened it. Inside, were a few rolls of ryo, a gold-and-jewel encrusted dagger, and large, faceted stone that seemed to be made out of some kind of white crystal, possibly diamond. Picking it up, his mind was caressed by a gentle breeze, and a voice like the tinkling of bells and purity spoke in his head._

"_What is this? Someone has found my beacon?" _

_The breeze in his mind swept through his head, examining his memories, recoiling in disgust at a blank area of his mind that he was sure contained the events of last night, but radiated approval at his actions before and after._

"_Your soul is pure, Dragon-Kind, though your flesh is…not. Return my beacon to my Shrine in the shifting sand wastes, and I will speak to you further, my champion. A great evil has corrupted my dear friend, and I fear for her safety…"_

_The presence and soothing feeling faded from his mind, but not before caressing the reviled part of his mind, soothing his guilt and calming his soul._

_The beacon shrunk and morphed in his hands, becoming a multi-faceted ring that slipped onto his left ring finger._

_Naruto grabbed the contents of the chest and sealed them away, and then hefting Satsu onto his back and starting to leap through the trees._

_(Flashback End…again)_

Sarutobi looked distinctly green, but shook it off. "What do you want me to do? It sounds like this Shrine is in Suna."

Naruto nodded. "I'd like to be added on to a mission to Suna. Meridia is one of the 'Good' Daedric Lords, she hates undead and the defilers of…anything good, really. If something bad happened to a friend of hers, it's probably in the best interest of everyone that she's helped."

The Sandaime tapped his chin in thought. "Very well. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I believe that I must gossip with my lady friends and tell them about you losing you virginity to your psychotic friend there." He grinned widely at the end.

Naruto blushed and looked away, not noticing Team Eight come in behind him. "I didn't lose my virginity on this mission, old man. I gave it away awhile ago."

Sarutobi leaned forward, steepeling his fingers with an interested look. "Really? To whom?"

The whole of Team Eight wanted to know this as well. Hinata seemed devastated, but resigned. Kurenai was staring at the back of Naruto's legs, admiring the spikes that jutted out from the sides of his shins. Shino…may have been interested, who knows? Kiba was irritated that Naruto had lost his virginity before him.

Unknown to everyone, another presence had snuck into the room, following her son.

"Well…" Naruto scratched the side of his face sheepishly. "She's an important clan figure, and she took it upon herself to teach me how to resist seduction techniques…I don't want to hurt her reputation."

The Sandaime entered a thinking pose, thinking of women that would match the description. "Mikoto Uchiha?" He asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"Misa Haruno?" He guessed again. Naruto shook his head once more. "She's married."

Sarutobi snorted into his hands. "So? She doesn't care, her husband's gay."

Behind him, Kiba connected the dots in his head. "You son of bitch!"

Naruto heard the shout from behind and turned, seeing Kiba charging at him with a fist raised and a snarl on his face. Without thinking, Naruto raised his hand and powered a shield. Kiba hit the shield and was thrown back, making a sound similar to a rubber ball bouncing off of a plate of metal.

Team Eight thought over Kiba's reaction and came to same conclusion that the feral shinobi had as he scramble to his feet.

A calloused hand descended on Kiba's shoulder, holding him place. The hand was slender and womanly, but bore the scars of intense training and clawed fingernails of the Inuzuka. Kiba followed the hand up to the arm that connected it, to the shoulder and then to face of one Kiba feared most.

His mother.

Tsume Inuzuka was one of the toughest women to come out of Konoha, more so than Anko Mitarashi and Kurenai Yuuhi, considered _slightly_ less impressive than Kushina Uzumaki and Tsunade Senju. One of whom was now dead and the other a drunk.

She had been considered a prodigy in the Inuzuka clan jutsu, becoming a genin during the beginning of the Third War, shooting to chunin and then jonin within five years. She was the youngest woman to take over as the Inuzuka Matriarch, being only sixteen at the time. She had been married to an Inuzuka male whose name was stricken from Konohagakure files after he was caught selling information to enemy villages. She had later divorced the male after tracking him down to a small village, knocking him out and killing his ninken partner, losing her right eye in the process. After the male had awoken, she made him sign the divorce papers and tied him to a tree, lighting an explosive tag she had placed on his crotch and leaving.

At thirty-five years of age, with two children, one of whom was 13 and the other 18, she was, in crass terms, one hot MILF, though any who said that out loud would have to be a long ways away from Tsume. With the loss of her eye, her other senses had become even more formidable.

She wore dark green pants with a weapon pouch tied each thigh and the jonin vest, the top unzipped slightly to allow her to breath without her breasts impeding her oxygen intake. She wore a blue long-sleeved shirt with a low cut front, along with black metal gauntlets on each arm, a clawed glove covering the hand.

Tsume was a subscriber to Naruto's metal working, having received the first piece he had ever made; an eye-patch made of Ebony metal with the Inuzuka Clan markings embossed in gold on it. With the help of a medic-nin, she had the eye-patch sealed over the empty socket so that it could never be taken off.

"Calm down, pup," She said with a knowing smirk. "Who I fuck is not your problem."

Kiba pointed at Naruto and then his mother, stumbling over his words. "B-but he's! And you! But…Aah!" With that, Kiba's eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted dead away.

Tsume gave a feral grin at the state of her son, before turning to Naruto. "Hey, Ryu-kun. You smell like you took a bath in a river of blood."

Naruto shuddered in disgust, mumbling, "Don't remind me…"

On his back, Satsu giggled and muttered in her sleep. "Blood! Hehehe…"

"Anyway," Naruto said, straightening up and tossing a scroll to the Sandaime, "Let me know when a mission to Suna comes in, alright? In the meantime, I am going to drop Satsu off and light myself on fire."

Hinata gasped and squeaked. "Naruto-kun! Why?"

He gave the Hyuuga heiress a dead-pan look. "Hinata-chan, I'm covered in blood. The only way I'll get rid of the smell is to burn it off."

She giggled nervously, "Oh, right. Sorry." Hinata went to hug him, but he stopped her with a look and a pointing finger at his clothes.

Tsume sidled up to Naruto with a mischievous grin and took his arm in one hers. "Come on, Ryu-kun, you can use the baths in my compound." Her grin widened, showing her larger canines. "We tend to get bloodier than others, so we have special herbs in our baths to get rid of the blood easier."

Sarutobi filed the scroll away for a later date and motioned for the conscious members of Team Eight to come forward. Kurenai waved to Naruto as she, Hinata and Shino stepped up for a mission.

Kiba's eye fluttered open as Naruto stepped over him, his vision coming into focus just in time for him to see his mother lick Naruto's left cheek, where, if he had been an Inuzuka, the Clan Markings would have been.

He slumped back to the ground, losing consciousness again. He had only ever seen his mother do the same thing to one person. His father.

…

After stopping by the apartment building that Naruto, Yugito, Samui and the Uchiha kunoichi shared to drop the unconscious kunoichi off, the blond and the Inuzuka Clan head walked into the Inuzuka Compound, into the Clan Head's House.

"Go wash yourself," Tsume ordered with a small smile. "Just toss your clothes out here and I'll put them through the wash."

Tsume left Naruto near the bathroom and went into her room to change. Looking at the dresser that contained her clothes, the Inuzuka Matriarch smiled at the photos lining the top.

There was one of her in the hospital, after giving birth to her first, Hana. The Tsume in the picture was younger and had a weary look on her face, but was smiling and holding a small baby with brown hair in her arms. The picture was torn in half, the other part that had contained her ex-husband had been burned to ashes.

Another picture was an even younger Tsume and a pretty girl the same age with long red hair and grey eyes eating ramen together with happy smiles.

Another was a green box with silk lining the inside and a place where her eye-patch used to rest. Next to it was photo of a young Naruto getting a kiss on the cheek from Tsume with her brand new eye-patch in place.

The sound of clothes hitting the floor drew Tsume from her recollections. She left her room and went by the bathroom, grabbing the pile of bloody clothes on the way. She dumped the load into the washer and added the soap, before looking down at her clothes and noticing the bloodstain on the front of her vest and sighing. "Might as well…" She grumbled under her breath, unzipping the vest and throwing it into the washer.

Hearing the water in bathhouse begin to run, the Inuzuka Matriarch smiled as a devious idea began to form in her head. She stripped out of the rest of her clothes and dropped them in washer and then turning it on.

Walking through the house naked, she slid the door to the bathhouse open quietly and slipped in, closing it softly. She approached Naruto from behind silently, watching in amusement as he muttered to himself about the dried blood between his scales.

Naruto jumped in shock as a two soft arms encircled his chest, along with a pair of large breasts pressing against his back. "Hey, Ryu-kun. Need some help?" Tsume asked teasingly.

He sighed and scrubbed the scales on his arms. "Yeah, it'd be nice. I have blood stuck between my scales."

Tsume laughed at his predicament and grabbed a rag to help him.

They cleaned Naruto off, chipping away the dried blood and exposing the shiny black scales underneath, and then moved on to actually washing him. The Inuzuka Matriarch trailed her fingers across his spine lightly. All along his back, small grey scales had began to grow, along his spine and over his ribs, and the lumbar had begun to bulge slightly as the previously compacted dragon bone began to expand.

"It won't be long, will it?" She asked softly, rubbing the muscles of Naruto's back.

Naruto sighed, feeling the tension start to leave his body. "Yeah," He said, "I'd give it about four months before the full transformation. Until then, I'll just look more and more like a monster…"

Tsume spun him around and planted a heavy kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding him tightly to her body. "It's not the dragon on the outside, Naruto…it's the man on the inside that matters." She whispered as they separated. She stroked his cheek, following the curves of his markings to his lips and stared into his eyes. "You are precious to me, Naruto-koi…never forget that."

Naruto smiled softly at the woman. She had her roughness that was presented in public and sometimes in private, but she had her gentle side too, one reserved only for family and loved ones. He kissed her deeply, with gentle passion.

They moved into the bath and sat down on the bench, with Tsume straddling Naruto's waist. They let the hot water relax them as they relaxed each other.

The bathhouse was filled with the sound of soft moans of pleasure and groans of exertion as Naruto and Tsume made love in the steam of the baths.

…

_(Two Days Later…)_

Naruto huffed as he slowed to a walk, panting tiredly with his hands on his knees. _It's getting harder to move fast,_ He grumbled in his mind.

"_**It is unfortunate,"**_ Alduin commented, _**"But after you fully transform, you will be able to gain your speed back when in human form."**_

"**I don't understand what you're bitchin' about." **Kyuubi muttered from her corner. **"You can punch a hole in brick wall, walk through fire and deflect most weapons with your scales and you're complaining about the **_**loss of speed?**_** Priorities, dude."**

Naruto shook his arms out and stretched. _In the ninja lifestyle, speed is very important. It saves lives._

"**Tch, whatever."**

"_**You have a visitor, Naruto."**_

Naruto noticed as well, seeing Suki approaching him with a smile. "Hey, Naruto-kun!"

He smiled at her and responded, "Hey, Suki-chan. I haven't seen you in a while."

Suki blushed and scratched her neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. Kaa-san was teaching me for awhile."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "Did you learn anything useful?"

The Uchiha heiress smiled in a subdued manner and nodded. "Yes, I did. That's not what I came for, though. Would you like to have lunch with me, Naruto-kun?"

The blond thought for a second before nodding. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

Suki smiled happily and grabbed his hand. "How about Ichiraku's?"

They shared a laugh and jogged out of the forest holding hands. They made their way to the ramen stand and entered through the flap. The inside wasn't very crowded, and Ayame, who was writing the order of a customer down at the bar, looked up and greeted them. "Welcome to Ichiraku's! Have a seat and I'll be right with you, Naruto-kun!"

The two took a seat at the far end of the bar on stools, while Ayame approached them with her note pad ready. "Alright, what can I get you today?"

Suki tapped her chin looked at the menu, before deciding on something. "I'll take a bowl of the vegetable ramen with some tuna onigiri."

Ayame jotted the order and turned to Naruto with a smile. "And you, Naruto-kun?"

"I'll take a bowl of the beef with extra meat, please." He replied with a small smile.

The waitress smiled cheerfully at them and went off to fulfill their orders. Suki tapped a short rhythm on the counter before asking Naruto a question that had been on her mind for a while. "So, is it true about you and Tsume Inuzuka?"

Naruto tried to hide the blush that covered his face and stuttered out, "W-Why are you asking so suddenly?"

Shuffling from behind them drew their attention to Samui and Tenten, who had just entered the establishment. "I'd like to know about that too." The blonde stated with her arms crossed under her breasts.

Naruto blushed heavily and looked away. "It's as I said, she taught me how to resist seduction techniques. Nothing more to it."

"Really?" Tenten asked sarcastically, "Then why did I see you and her together a couple of days ago passing by the shop, arm-in-arm?"

The mostly-dragon shrugged. "What? It's not like we aren't friends. Just because we sleep together on occasion doesn't mean we're married or anything."

Suki slammed her hands on the table. "You sleep together?!"

Naruto was surprised the anger on her face. "Yeah, on occasion. I don't see what the big deal is. I know Asuma has been trying to get in Kurenai's pants, Anko rapes her female prisoners on occasion and Kakashi sleeps with civilian women all the time."

Yugito joined the conversation with a yell. "You don't see what the big deal is?! We're going to be married, Naruto! Would you care if we slept around with random guys?"

The horrified look on Naruto's face spoke volumes. "Of course I would!"

Samui replied back, "Then why should it be any different for us?"

"I-I don't-"

"What about our feelings, Naruto?" Suki asked.

The girls' voices, questions and accusations made Naruto feel as if he was surrounded by slowly closing walls of anger and unhappiness…and it got to the point that he couldn't take it anymore. He started muttering under his breath as the girls closed around him. **"Rok Drun Drem Ahrol…Bovul!"**

With a crack of displaced air, Naruto was there one second, and the next…not. He just suddenly wasn't around anymore.

The girls were now without their source of anger, and were about to set out to find him when they found the path blocked by a frigid Nejiko Hyuuga. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked in cold tone.

"Move Nejiko, we have to find Naruto." Samui ordered, preparing to push the Hyuuga kunoichi aside.

"I don't think so." Nejiko stood firm with her hands crossed resolutely over her chest. "While you were yelling in Naruto's face, I scanned his body with my eyes. Every organ in his body is changing, as well as his brain. From what I heard from Hanabi-sama, every part of his body is going through similar changes, some earlier than others." She brushed an errant bang of hair away from her face briskly. "When I looked at his brain, I saw the center for the instincts is growing right now. His animal instincts are at an all time high as it is. All he has on his mind right now are four things: Eating, Sleeping, Fighting and having sex. Though I dislike it as much as you that I didn't get it first, I understand what he's going through, as should you all."

Nejiko scowled at them pointed behind them at the bar. There, where Naruto had been sitting, were eight deep gouges in the table where he had gripped it with his talons. "That was where he was grabbing to stop from attacking you. In short, Naruto is going through an advanced version of puberty. You remember what that's like, don't you?" She asked Samui rhetorically. "After all, that's when those huge things grew. If I were you, I'd lay off Naruto-kun for awhile."

Having said her piece, Nejiko left the stand with a brisk stride, heading back to the compound. The other girls dispersed slowly, lost in their own thoughts

In Ichiraku's, Ayame came out of the back with a large bowl of ramen topped with many slices of beef. "Naruto-kun! Order…Naruto?" She looked around the small stand and couldn't see either the blond or his Uchiha companion. "Huh. I wonder what happened? Maybe I should save this for Naruto later…but he looked really hungry…"

Ayame thought over her choices before nodding to herself and sealing the bowl into a small scroll. "Dad! I'm going to take some food to Naruto!"

"Okay dear! Have fun!"

The waitress closed her eyes and loosed a small and quick pulse of chakra, waiting for the returning pulse before taking off in the direction it came from. _Thank Kami for ninja training._

It took her about twenty minutes to find Naruto while leaping through the trees. He was in a dark part of the forest, where the wild animals were more prevalent. She almost missed him, with a fireball barely missing her. The fireball sailed past her and impacted into a tree, where it expanded and dissipated, taking half of the tree trunk with it.

"Ayame-chan?"

The brown-haired waitress looked up to see a shocked Naruto with the red receding from his eyes. "H-hey Naruto-kun! I-uh, I brought you lunch…" She trailed off uncertainly.

The blond grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm really sorry, Ayame-chan, I should have noticed you coming." He sat himself down on a nearby fallen log with a depressed visage.

Ayame sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "What's the matter, Naruto-kun? You haven't been yourself lately."

Naruto sighed and scratched at his face. "My changes. My instincts are screaming at me all day, and the pain that comes from my organs changing doesn't help either. All I want to do is fight, eat, fight some more, fuck, eat, fight some more, fuck some more and sleep. It's like these little bugs crawling over my skin; I can't help but want to itch them, you know?"

He glanced at her face and froze. Ayame had dark red all across her face at his wording. "I do know, Naruto-kun I went through puberty once."

Naruto found himself licking his lips as her scent washed over him. There was a multitude of ingredients in her smell, most of them for ramen…but there was also an underlying apple and honey smell that made his skin tingle.

Then he realized that he had been staring at her unerringly for about a minute. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" He asked apologetically.

The Waitress blushed under his intense gaze and made her question again. "Sooo, do those urges of yours, the one that want to have sex, are they just for any woman?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her curiously, but answered anyway. "Not really. I mean, I'll see a good looking woman and think, 'I'd like to bang her', but it just that. Nothing more. But when it's someone I care about…" Naruto trailed off with a blush. "Let's just say that it's very hard for me to control myself right now, Ayame-chan…" He muttered lowly.

Ayame eyes widened in shock. _He's trying not to take me…because he cares too much to hurt me like that…this is my chance!_ The hand not resting on Naruto's shoulder came up and grabbed his chin, turning his face towards her, where his lips met hers.

Ayame kissed Naruto softly, trying to put the feelings she had into her lips in an attempt to show them to Naruto.

Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "A-Ayame-chan?"

She put her finger over his lips to silence him. "Just…just let me speak, Naruto." She whispered quietly, not opening her eyes. "I know I'm not a ninja anymore, Naruto-kun…I know I'm older than you…but…let me love you…" She kissed him softly. "You were the person who tried my first ramen…you beat Toshi when he called me plain…you told me I was beautiful, even in a village full of kunoichi…do you remember that night, years ago? Do you remember what you said?"

Naruto's mind fell back, years in the past…

_(Flashback)_

_Ayame was twelve years old. She sat on the steps of her house, tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed into her hands._

"_Ayame-chan?"_

_The brunette wiped her eyes hurriedly. "Oh, hey, Naruto-kun! H-how's it g-going?" She asked in false cheerful voice._

_Naruto frowned at her, his eight-year old, slightly chubby visage twisting. "Don't try to fake me, Ayame-chan. What's the matter?"_

_Ayame was lost for words. She couldn't tell him about Toshi, the academy student she had a crush on had rejected her, ripped her self-confidence to pieces…_

_He narrowed his eyes on her, noticing the running make-up she had applied, trying to look even prettier. "You asked out Toshi, didn't you?" He accused lowly._

_Ayame just nodded, fresh tears spilling out of her soft brown eyes. Naruto sat next to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. "What did he say?"_

_The waitress-in-training grabbed onto Naruto and buried her face in his shoulder. She told him how her crush had called her plain, how he would never think of dating a low-class waitress when he could rescue princesses and marry them. _

_When she finished, she looked up at Naruto's face. His visage had twisted into a mask of anger, the red of his pupils overtaking the blue of his irises. He gently pushed Ayame off of his shoulder. "I'll be right back, Ayame-chan…"_

_She watched as he strode off with a purposeful step, hand clenched in anger._

_Twenty minutes later, he returned with a satisfied expression and blood dripping from his upper lip. "Naruto!" Ayame cried in alarm, rushing forward to see to his injury._

"_I'm alright Ayame-chan." He reassured her, holding the hand she was patting his face with. _

"_What happened?" She asked quickly._

_Naruto smiled at her and hugged her tightly. "I found Toshi and showed him what happens when someone insults my friends." He said with a smile. "I also recommended that he drop from the Ninja program."_

_Ayame looked at him in confusion. "Why?"_

_He smiled warmly up at her. "Because he was obviously blind to see that you were 'plain'."_

_The brunette's cheeks flushed dark red. "W-what do you mean?"_

_Naruto hugged her tightly, his face pressing into her developing chest. "Ayame-chan is the most beautiful girl I've met. If you asked me out, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. I would have taken you to all your favorite things and be gentleman. I would hold Ayame-chan and love her forever, because that's what she deserves! And then when I was old enough, I would marry Ayame-chan and make her my wife, so I could always be with her!"_

_Ayame's eyes were wide in shock, her cheeks flushed. "N-Naruto?"_

_The blond looked up at her with determined eyes. "I will! I will marry you, Ayame-chan! I promise!"_

_Ayame smiled shyly, tears of happiness gathering her eyes. "You know it's not a real promise until you seal it, right Naruto-kun?"_

_His eyes widened. "How do I seal it?"_

_She bent her head and kissed his lips chastely, an atomic blush covering both of their cheeks. They parted, staring at each other with wide eyes. "There, now it's sealed." Ayame whispered. _

_Naruto pushed himself onto his tip-toes and kissed her this time, sealing the promise on his end. "I will, Ayame-chan…believe it…"_

_(Flashback Over)_

Naruto blinked and looked into Ayame's eyes. "I promised I would marry you…"

Ayame smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "And we sealed it with our first kisses…" She grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled herself into him, relishing in his warmth. "I know I'm not a kunoichi…but please, Naruto-kun…please…"

Naruto lifted her chin this time, looking her in the eye. He kissed her softly, with passion. "I never break a promise, Ayame-chan, never…" She sobbed slightly and threw herself on him, pushing him off of the log and onto the ground.

"I love you, Naruto-kun. I love you." She mumbled in his ear, holding him tightly.

Naruto held just as tightly. "I love you too…"

Unknown to both of them, someone in the forest sobbed lightly, having heard the whole thing. A small rustling in the bushes was the only sign of their departure.

…

_(Three Days Later…)_

Naruto stepped into the Sandaime's office with a smile. "You called for me?"

Sarutobi waved him in with a grin. "Ah yes, here you are, Naruto. I believe that I have a solution for your problem."

Team Eight was also in the room. Hinata waved slightly with red cheeks, Shino nodded stoically, Kurenai smiled warmly at him and Kiba ignored his presence altogether.

"I received a mission request from the Daimyo of Kaze no Kuni. Apparently, people have been disappearing from villages in Kaze no Kuni, and the Daimyo wants to stop it." The Sandaime shuffled the papers on his desk and pulled a scroll with a blue wave emblem stamped on it. "In an effort to strengthen our ties to Sunagakure, I have sent them a missive asking for help in a joint mission. I have you down as an attaché, Naruto-kun. You can search for your shrine, as long as you report back to Team Eight regularly."

The old man handed Kurenai the scroll and went back to his paperwork. The raven-haired woman turned to her team with a smile. "Get the equipment you need, desert gear with water skins, light clothing and head coverings. Meet me at the gate in half an hour."

She left in a cloud of smoke, leaving the team to gather their things. While the three clan heirs left for home to gather equipment there, Naruto left for Higurashi's Weapons.

Naruto pushed the door open, the bell ringing and drawing the attention of the two women at the counter.

Samui had been leaning on the counter, chatting with Tenten when Naruto had come in. Their greetings were rather subdued. They hadn't talked to him since the incident at Ichiraku's, and every meeting was filled with awkward silence.

Naruto looked at them with longing in his eyes, but he sighed and went to the clothing section of the store without a word spoken.

As he searched through the racks for desert clothing, he heard the door open and the bell ring. He grabbed a few pieces and a couple bolts of tan cloth and began to make his way to the counter when he nearly ran into two women.

One was Mikoto Uchiha, dressed in a simple everyday kimono. She had a bundle of shuriken in her hands and was chatting with a woman who had pink hair.

Unlike her daughter, Misa Haruno had a dark color to her hair, making it almost deep pink. She was about the same height as Mikoto, with her hair reaching mid back. She had a very full figure and a cheerful, heart-shaped face with light blue eyes. At one point, she had been a ninja, but never made it past genin after her first kill. She was the head of a merchant family that sold mostly clothes and jewelry, with a side-business of restaurants. Misa had married Kensaki Aburame to help him out of a tight spot with his parents, who wanted to marry him to a woman inside the clan, despite the fact that he was gay and the girl was his cousin. They had Sakura together, but that was only out of the stipulations set forth by his parents in order for him to remain married. Despite that, they both raised Sakura lovingly.

Both women smirked mischievously when their eyes landed on Naruto, twin sparkles of playfulness dancing.

As one, they sidled up to Naruto and enfolded his arms in their well-endowed chests. "So, what's this I hear about you and Tsume?" Misa whispered sultrily, pressing her body to his side as Mikoto did the same, trapping him in a coffin of soft female flesh.

"Yeah, Naruto-kun, are we not good enough?" Mikoto crooned softly in the other ear.

Naruto tried to stammer a reply, but Misa and Mikoto giggled before he could.

"Don't look so scared," Misa said with a giggle. "We were joking."

The Uchiha matriarch leaned in with half-lidded eyes and whispered, "Maybe…"

Both women gave laid a soft kiss on each cheek before walking off with smiles and an extra sway in their hips.

Naruto watched them leave with a shocked expression that morphed into a suspicious one. _Alright, what the fuck is going on? This is like the third time today I've been propositioned by women. I have no clue what is causing this, and I'm kind of afraid to find out._

He shook his head and went to the counter, sighing as Tenten silently rang up his purchases. "I'll be back in about two weeks, maybe more." He muttered quietly. "I hope we can talk when I come back. I miss you."

Before his statement had registered in Tenten's and Samui's minds, he had already left.

…

_(Five Hours Later…)_

After Naruto had met Team Eight at the gate, they had left, tree-hopping to the edge of the desert to meet the team from Suna.

There weren't many words spoken between them during the trip, only a grunt of exertion or a huff of breath from jumping.

The sun began to reach the other horizon and cast an orange glow over the world, so Kurenai stopped them to setup camp. "We'll be in the desert soon," She explained, "You'll want to conserve as much energy as you can. To that effect, Hinata, you get first watch, Shino you get second, I'll take third, and that leaves Kiba with fourth and Naruto with last."

Naruto volunteered to hunt for dinner, leaving Hinata and Shino to gather firewood and Kiba and Kurenai to set up the individual tents. It didn't take long for the dragon shinobi to catch a brace of rabbits and a young doe, along with a few eggs from various bird nests. When he came back, the tents had been rigged and there was a good-sized fire going. Naruto skinned and gutted the rabbits and the doe, saving the edible innards and disposing of the rest, and then spitted the meat and set it roast.

Soon, the smell of meat began to permeate the campsite. They sat around the fire and chatted about trivial things. Eventually, Naruto grabbed his sword and a small block of black metal and began to sharpen his sword, the soft screech of metal ringing in the clearing.

Kiba noticed something about one of Naruto's hands and pointed it out. "What's with the ring, jackass? Did you get married or something?"

Naruto glanced down at the white crystal ring. He had almost forgotten that it was there. "No, I didn't get married." There were a few sighs of relief, but he couldn't tell who gave them. "This ring is the reason I've joined you in Suna. One of the deities who watches over the world lost this ring, and I'm trying to return it."

The dog-nin scoffed. "Deity? Really?"

With the incredulous looks he received from the others, Naruto explained about Meridia and her purpose. As he finished, he handed out the meat and sealed the rest away for later. He answered their questions to the best of his ability, and explained what he could.

After they finished, Kurenai tossed her stick into the fire and began to get ready for bed, ordering the others with the exception of Hinata to follow.

It was at that time, where Naruto was giving Hinata a good-night kiss, was he shocked.

Shino had discarded the jacket Shino normally wore and pulled a small tie that kept Shino's hair together out, letting Shino's brown, spiky hair flow out to the actual length. Shino then reached behind Shino's back and undid a small knot on Shino's bindings…the bindings that kept her nicely-formed, average-sized breasts out of view.

Naruto stared shamelessly at Shino as she stretched her back. "Shino…you're a woman?"

The Aburame gave him a confused look, now easily visible without the high collar or the sunglasses. "Yes…is that surprising, Naruto-san?"

Now that he could see all of her body, it actually wasn't. That heavy coat really did hide a lot. She had a curved and lithe body, her toned stomach being bared by the mid-riff shirt she wore. Her face was soft, with high cheek-bones and eyes with light brown irises that glittered, even without light shining directly in them.

Hinata giggled behind her hands with a small smile. "I'm not surprised you didn't know, Naruto-kun. Most civilians believe that there are no females in the Aburame clan, just one Queen that gives birth to all the rest."

Shino shook her head with a small scowl. "And they are idiots. Just because we all wear heavy coats doesn't mean there aren't any females."

Hinata giggled at Shino's disgruntled expression as Kiba settled down in his tent. The Aburame kunoichi glanced at Naruto with a questioning gleam in her eyes. "Since you thought I was a male, was that why you ignored all the signs of attraction I made?"

Naruto thought back to the academy. Now that he had a new perspective, his memories were different. With Shino being a girl, it made the acts he thought were just weird make sense. How she would sit close to him, engage him in conversation and discuss things, and usually just him.

"Yeah, actually." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "I thought you just preferred my company over other guys'. Sorry about that."

Shino gazed at him searchingly, before letting a small smile curve her lips. "It is perfectly understandable. I simply believed you weren't interested." She kissed him on the cheek and entered her tent.

Hinata gave Naruto one last hug and kiss and hopped up into a tree to keep watch. "Good-night, Naruto-kun. Sleep well."

He waved to her and entered his own tent, settling down into his bedroll and falling asleep quickly.

…

Hours passed and the moon rose as Hinata watched the camp, periodically turning her Byakugan on to check the perimeter.

But even then, she missed the shadow that passed through the camp.

The flap to Naruto's tent opened slightly, letting a shadowed figure inside. The figure watched as Naruto twitched in his sleep and grunted in discomfort. As she watched, a small hole was poked out of the back of his shirt by a small black spike.

"Aww, sweet Naruto-kun," She whispered sadly, brushing her fingers gently across his cheek. "So uncomfortable…"

A feminine form slipped into his bedroll and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled on him until his head was resting on her breasts. "Let my bosom comfort you tonight, my dear." She whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Soon, I will make you mine, Naruto-kun. Just a little while longer."

Soon, soft snores joined Naruto's as they slept. They were only disturbed once that night, when Kiba poked Naruto with a stick to wake him up. It didn't really work, but Naruto, still-half asleep, formed three Shadow Clones outside of his tent to do his job, and then snuggled into the large pair of breasts that served as his pillow.

…

The next morning, Naruto was woken early by one of his clones, with the other two rousing Team Eight. What followed was a quick packing of tents followed by wiping all traces of the camp out.

As they traveled, the terrain began to change radically, going from trees to scrubland in a blink of an eye.

The town was small, with barely four hundred people living around a fresh-water well and a small oasis. It was here that Team Eight and Naruto would meet another genin team, this one from Sunagakure.

It was noon, and Team Eight had gotten rooms at the tiny hotel and began to ask around about the disappearances that were the basis of the mission.

Naruto as well had started his own investigation, searching for any leads on the Shrine to Meridia. The best lead was from an elderly woman with skin like leather. It seemed that, every day at dawn, a bright light would shine out of the sand wastes. She had told him about the statue she had found after following the light, a statue carved from marble of a woman with stern-but-gentle face, wearing a robe that spread like wings around her body, her arms raised as if cupping a round object.

As Naruto was leaving the old woman's house, he stumbled upon three people. One was a woman, maybe three years older than himself, wearing a light purple battle kimono that revealed her shoulders and cut-off at mid-thigh. She carried a rectangular length of iron her back, with her sandy blonde hair tied into four ponytails and her hitae-ite around her neck.

The other was a guy, maybe two years older. He wore a black body-suit with cat ears, something Naruto thought a person who lived in the desert wouldn't want to wear. He also carried a large, bandage-wrapped bundle on his back, and his face was painted with purple curves.

The last was another girl. She had very cold sea foam-green eyes and pale skin, with black rings like that of a raccoon around her eyes and the Kanji 'Ai' over her left eye. Her shaggy red hair hung down to the nape of her neck and framed her heart-shaped face. She carried a large gourd on her back, attached to her by a large whit sash. She wore a high-necked crimson shirt over mesh under-armor with dark brown shorts and sandals.

The first one to see Naruto was make-up guy. His eyes widened before he pointed at Naruto with a triumphant shout and wide grin. "See?!" He crowed wildly, "I'm not the only one who wears War Paint!"

There were a few things that set Naruto off, and one them was calling his facial markings 'War Paint.' If anything, they were most similar to the Inuzuka clan markings.

Naruto's eye twitched. "They're not War-Paint. They are Clan Markings. I don't care if I'm not from a Clan; I can light you on fire and throw you five-hundred feet with _just_ my voice. They're Clan Markings, you fucking clown."

At the offended look on her teammate's face, the blonde girl choked back a laugh, and what might have been the shade of a smile ghosted across the red-head's lips.

The blonde managed to focus on the Konoha hitae-ite sewn onto Naruto's left shoulder and asked, "Are you one of the ninja from Konoha's Team Eight?"

Naruto shook his head negatively. "No, but I'm with them. I know where they are if you'd like me to lead you there."

Glancing behind the Suna team, he noticed the sun beginning to set on the horizon. It seems his conversation took longer than he thought. "In fact, we're staying at the only hotel in town and the sun's almost set, so we'd be going the same direction anyway."

Not having an argument for that, the Suna Team followed Naruto as he made his way through the town. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konoha."

The blonde gave him an easy grin hooked a thumb at herself. "I'm Sabaku No Temari, clown-boy over there is Kankuro, my younger brother, and the last is Gaarin, our youngest sibling. We're all genin."

Kankuro was alternating glares at his sister for calling him 'clown-boy', and Naruto for giving her the name. Gaarin nodded slightly and looked away with blank eyes.

Silence permeated the group as they walked through town to the hotel. At the hotel, they met Team Eight, who had sat down to eat dinner.

"Ah, you must be the Suna Team." Kurenai greeted. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi, jonin-sensei of Team Eight. With me are Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga and Kiba Inuzuka. Where is you jonin-sensei?"

Gaarin scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Baki was needed back at Suna, so he will not be joining us in any capacity."

Kurenai quirked a questioning eyebrow at her words, but didn't make any fuss about it. "…Alright, I guess. You might want to handle your sleeping arrangements before settling in. There is very little room here."

The Suna trio left to do just that as Naruto sat with Team Eight to eat. Ten minutes later, the Suna Team joined them again, but this time with the proprietor of the hotel, Sajin Hana.

"U-um, there's a problem with the rooms…" She stuttered nervously, poking her forefingers together. Hinata was suddenly struck by déjà vu, but couldn't find the reason for it. "There a-are too many people…"

"And as I have said, I do not require sleep." Gaarin interrupted, annoyance coloring her voice.

Hana blushed in embarrassment. "There s-still aren't enough r-rooms."

Kurenai pointed at herself, Shino and Hinata. "We can all sleep in the same room, we have done so before. Would that work?"

The proprietor colored and fingered the hem of her dress nervously. "T-that would still leave o-one person on the ground."

Naruto raised his hand and drew attention to himself. "I have my bedroll, I can sleep on the floor. That should handle it."

He brooked no arguments, and that was that.

…

_(Four Hours Later…)_

Naruto couldn't sleep. The changes made his skin itch and his bones ache along his spine, and it was keeping him from sleep. So, he sat on the roof of the motel and stared at the moon hanging above him like a crystal ball, occasionally grunting in pain as the scales grew spikes.

A soft shuffle from behind him let him know that someone was coming up to the roof. Twisting around, he spotted Kurenai approaching him wearing a black nightgown and a confused look. "Naruto? What are you doing up here?"

He shrugged tiredly and patted the spot next to him. "Couldn't sleep. Do you want to join me?"

The jonin gave him a searching look before sighing quietly and sitting next him with her legs dangling off the edge of the roof. They sat in companionable silence for about an hour, before Naruto finally asked, "Kurenai? Can I ask you something?"

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow but nodded her consent.

Naruto sighed and dredged up his courage. "Have noticed anything strange…about the women in Konoha lately?"

Kurenai gave a confused look. "What do you mean?"

There was no easy way to say this, but Naruto tried. "Well…it just seems like…kunoichi have been really attracted to me lately."

The raven-haired kunoichi scoffed slightly. "I didn't think you had such a big ego, Naruto."

Naruto waved his hands nervously. "No, no, not that! It's just…do you know Suzume? Chunin, teaches kunoichi practices at the academy…?"

At her nod, he continued. "Well, she propositioned me this morning."

Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. "Wait…Suzume propositioned you? The 'Virgin Prude' Suzume?"

He nodded gravely. "I think there might be something going on with in Konoha. There's no way all of these women should be attracted to me!"

Kurenai tapped her chin with a thoughtful look. "That's your opinion, but you are right, something is definitely going on…"

The two ninja sat on the roof, pondering.

Until Kurenai's right hand landed on Naruto's thigh and squeezed gently.

Naruto's eyes widened almost comically. His gaze shot from her hand on his thigh to her face. She seemed to be entirely unaware that she was feeling up the blond genin, even as her hand drifted upward and grabbed _something_.

"Uh, sensei?"

Kurenai's eyes shot open in revelation before she turned to face him with a triumphant smile. "I think I know!"

She was still unaware that she was holding Naruto's dick.

"Sensei?"

Her smile turned feral and leaned into meet Naruto's eyes. "It's me."

At that point, Naruto realized that he couldn't feel any breeze, nor the heat of the sand. Looking around him, he noticed that the environment had taken on a sepia tone and had frozen. He also noticed that Kurenai had changed. Her eyes had become entirely pink and glowing, though her body didn't change at all.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" She smirked as she gave him a squeeze. "A young dragon with a Goddess holding onto his cock. I wonder what will happen?"

Naruto nearly tried to scramble away, before he realized she was right. "Who are you?" He asked, acutely aware of how soft her hand was.

"Why, you don't recognize me? I'm hurt, _Naruto-kun_…" She pouted playfully. "You don't remember your first wet dream? Your first crush? How sad…"

The blond's mouth dropped open, but he still didn't know who she was. "That doesn't answer my question…"

Kurenai scoffed in frustration. "Do I have to strip naked and paint myself gold? I am Dibella, my love." She leaned over him until his back was against the ground and her body was pressed on top of his. "I am the Goddess of beauty, my love, and the most beautiful thing is love, the rough, sweaty love and the slow, sensuous love."

Dibella licked up the side of his face and smirked as he shuddered. "I get what I want…_whatever_ I want… and what I want is _you._"

She straddled his waist and ground herself against him with a low moan. "My other concubines are so dull, so boring. Nord, Khajit, Argorian…so tedious. They can't satisfy me anymore…" Dibella smirked as she lifted Naruto's torso up to meet hers. "All my lovers have been one's that I've found throughout time, and all of them becoming boring after a time…so I decided to make the perfect lover."

Naruto's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when the Goddess introduced one of her nipples into his mouth, and his dick to her vagina. _When did I get naked?!_

Dibella moaned at the warmth in her core and ground her hips slowly. "Your mother was pregnant with you at the time, and even if I can't see your future like Akatosh, I could still feel the potential that swirled about you like maelstrom. I poured a bit of my essence into your mother and let it mix in with yours, and then I tweaked what I wanted. Nothing serious, my love," She said at his wide eyes, "just a thing or two here or there. A higher libido, an appreciation for women…though I didn't have to change you stamina or your size, love. Uzumaki genes are the best that I've ever seen."

Dibella threw her head back and moaned as Naruto plunged inside of her deeply. "Ahh, yes, there! But then Arkay sealed Alduin's soul into you and added all the bestial instincts that come with being a dragon…I'll have to thank him one day."

She pushed his head away from her breast and kissed him deeply, her tongue plundering his mouth like a sexy bandit. "So you see, with the dragon in you and my essence, you have become the perfect mate for me. With the dragon, you will never die. With my essence, you will love as many as you can." Dibella stared into his eyes with a wide grin. "You will be mine forever, when you tire of these mortals, my love. They are nothing compared to me. I can be whoever," Her body shifted to that of a woman with light blue hair that was cut short with pale skin and red eyes, "Whatever," She changed into a water elemental, her curves replaced by ever-flowing blue liquid. "Make no mistake, my love. You will tire of mortals and their mortality. And when you do…" She leaned forward and bit his shoulder roughly, releasing at the same time he did, splashing her arousal over his thighs and crotch. A mark in the shape of a strange rune was drawn out from her bite, circling his skin with small, invisible chains. "You will find me, and I will ravish you. Until next time, my love."

With that, Dibella left. Time began to turn again, with breeze blowing and the moon regaining its color. Though, Naruto and Kurenai were both naked and covered in sweat.

The red-eyed jonin moaned lightly and nipped at Naruto's chest. "That was wonderful, Naruto-kun…" she murmured. "I've never felt so…so alive and loved!" Kurenai pushed herself up on shaky arms and licked her lips lustfully. "We doing that again, and again…"

As Kurenai began to move, deep in Naruto's mind, Alduin covered his head with his wings and tried to block out the sounds of his pseudo-son having sex. _**"Why must I by cursed to hear him get some but not get any myself? I have needs too!"**_

In her cage, The Kyuubi was growling and scratching at her floor. **"Aedra Bitch! Marking my mate! Fucking my mate! I will destroy you for this, Dibella, Slut-Goddess! His is mine!"**

Ember had nothing to say, though her moans of 'Master…there!' did not need to be explained.

…

**A/N: There. That is as far as I'm going to get into lemon territory.**

**So, that's the explanation for all the women trying get some of Naruto's tubesteak. A mix of pheromones, the essence of the Goddess of beauty and the instincts of an animal…Naruto is fucked.**

_**Literally~!**_

**Any how, as for the Harem, I will say it is this: Whoever I want. Not all of the ones he has sex with will end up in a deep, actually meaningful relationship with him. Some will just be in it for the sex.**

**If you want a list, write out the female characters in Naruto, then take the ones that make you go 'Ewww' (Such as girls younger than 11) and the really old women, and there you go. Most will make an appearance, some won't. If you want to define the story as "Mass Harem", go ahead. That doesn't mean it will a smut story by any way, just an adult story. With just enough details to not be flagged! Yay!**

**That being said, the next chapter will have a lot more action and a lot less 'action', if y'know what I'm sayin'.**

**This was an odd chapter to write. I was about halfway into it when I looked at the wordcount, put my head in my hands and was like, "I just wrote 6,000 words about people talking about their **_**feelings**_**…" then I went and played some violent video games to get my manliness back.**

**And then I wrote 4,000 more words about feelings.**

**I need to drink some whiskey, smoke a cigar and watch football now. Later, yo.**

**Keep Being Awesome!**

**~Soleneus**


	6. Dry Skin, Hot Flames

Chapter 6: Dry Skin, Hot Flames

Temari shuffled the sheets off of her body and rolled over, facing the wall next to her bed. If there was one thing that was good about Gaarin being a jinchuriki (not that she would admit it out loud or to anyone else) was that, since she never slept, she never needed pillows…leaving another extra pillow for Temari to use.

Another she would never admit was that she liked soft things…namely, pillows.

"Temari…"

Who was trying to rouse her? Didn't they know that it was like, 4'o clock in the morning? That was still pillow time!

"Temari…"

_Why won't they shut the fuck up and let me sleep? Kami…_

She heard something shift over her head, but ignored it and tried to fall back asleep. That possibility was stolen from her when a load of heavy sand landed on her body.

"Gah! What the fuck-!" Temari shot out of bed, ready to shout at the idiot who thought it would be funny to dump sand on her…

And came face to face with her younger sister.

Letting out an un-identifiable squeak of terror, the blonde kunoichi practically teleported to the other side of the room with her blanket over her head. "Gaarin! D-did you n-need something?"

Gaarin watched in disinterest as her older sister tried to pull the tangled blanket off of herself, and brought up what she needed to talk about. "Temari…you have had experience with males, correct?"

Temari froze with her face half covered. _Did she just call me slut?_ "Uh…no, not really. Just a little bit." She didn't mention that it was because she had a sister that killed anyone that looked at her funny.

She watched as her red-headed sister tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…very well. Do you know why a man would stab a woman in the groin with a dagger that came from his groin and both seem to enjoy it?"

A blush streaked across Temari's cheeks as a realization dawned. "What?!" She squeaked in embarrassment.

The jinchuriki in front of her began to animate her sand into two figures, one with breasts and long hair, and the other with what looked like armor. And then she began to move them.

Temari stared with a gaping mouth and a furious blush on her face. "Gaarin…there is a lot we have to talk about…"

…

Naruto awoke with a soft, warm, feminine body on top of his, holding onto him possessively and snuggling into his neck. Looking down at the head of raven hair on his chest, the mostly-dragon suddenly recalled why he was lying in bed naked with Kurenai Yuuhi.

After Dibella departed, he and the jonin had gone at it for another three hours. She may have presented the image of a prim and proper lady, but Kurenai had practically ridden him into the mattress last night. The only reason she hadn't woken anyone up with her cries was because she had her tongue in his mouth.

Kurenai shifted on top of him and pushed herself onto her knees, straddling his waist. She stretched her arms over her head and thrust her chest out, letting loose a loud yawn and several cracks from her spine and sighing in satisfaction.

She looked down at Naruto with sensual smirk on her red lips. "That was a fun night we had, Naruto-kun. I'll remember it for a while." Kurenai laid herself over Naruto, pressing her body into his with their faces centimeters apart. "At least, until the next time we do this."

Naruto was taken aback by this, and it showed on his face. "This isn't a one-off thing?"

The red-eyed jonin pouted playfully. "If I didn't know better, Naruto, I'd think you wanted it to be a one-night stand. I am not good enough for you?"

The blond waved his hands nervously. "No, no! That's not it! I…" He scratched the back of his sheepishly, "Well, I'm not exactly old…"

Kurenai looked down at him with a dry gaze. She bent down and kissed Naruto on the lips passionately, introducing her tongue into the fray and drawing his own into her mouth. She pulled him up and slammed his back against the wall, wrapping her arms around his torso and meshing their bodies together.

When Kurenai released Naruto, his eyes were wide. "Alright, I see your point." He muttered.

The jonin leaned forward until their foreheads were touching, giving him a coy smile. "Let me make it simple for you, Naruto-kun. What mama wants, mama gets." Her smile gained a slightly feral edge, and her irises gained a pink tinge. "And mama _wants_."

Kurenai pushed herself off of the bed and grabbed her clothes. She gave him a smirk from over her shoulder. "I'm going to bathe now, Naruto-kun. Why don't you join me?" With her offer on the table, she waltzed to the bathroom, an extra sway to her hips that drew his attention to her rear.

Naruto sat on the bed, stunned. He sat there for a few minutes until Kurenai's voice floated out of the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of running water. _"Oh, Naruto~!"_ He then swung off the edge of the bed and joined the jonin in the bathroom.

It was barely five o'clock in the morning.

…

_(Thirty Minutes Later…)_

After getting clean, the two ninja had joined the rest downstairs for breakfast. Strangely, Temari couldn't look at either Naruto or Kurenai without blushing heavily, and Gaarin was staring at the blond with a searching expression in her eyes.

It was sort of creepy.

After breakfast was over the groups began to discuss the plans they had for the day. "Well, we're going to try and follow up on a few more leads in town." Kurenai said while sipping her tea.

Temari nodded and drank down her milk. "We'll do the same."

Naruto checked the time and got up to leave. "I've got to go. An old lady directed me out into the Wastes, so I'll be there. I'll be back before night fall."

With their nods, he left the building and watched the rising sun as it peaked over the horizon. Directly in the middle of the yellow sun, a white light shined like a beacon.

Naruto nodded to himself and wrapped tan cloth around his head to protect his face and eyes from the sand. Before he could leave, a rough hand clapped down on his shoulder and spun him around.

Gaarin stared at him with an empty gaze. "When you return, we will talk." She nodded resolutely.

"Talk about what?" Naruto asked in confusion.

The red-haired jinchuriki looked at him like he was stupid. "About what you did to the black-haired woman. Sex, I believe it is called. I would like ask questions about it." She said bluntly.

Gaarin left Naruto standing there, speechless. _These women will never leave me alone, will they?_

Passerby tried not to stare at the shinobi that was sitting with his knees up to his chest, shrunken in size and drawing a small circle on the floor with his fore-talon and muttering to himself. _"But I'm a good boy…"_

Pulling himself together, Naruto stood and pulled his garments tighter around his body. "Alright, let's do this…**Su…Dun!**" He said to himself, finishing in a Shout.

Whorls of air wrapped around his body, kicking up dust that soon fell to the ground, Naruto nowhere in sight.

…

_(Ten Minutes Later…)_

Something shot across the desert, leaving a trail of sand shooting into the air. Naruto had been running for about ten minutes now, and the white light was only growing brighter, the ring on his finger glowing in response.

It was a good thing that his eyes had already changed. Like a camel, dragons had a hidden, translucent vertical eyelid that closed in flight to protect the visual organs in their sockets. They were dead useful to keep sand out of his vision.

He skidded to a stop in front of a statue, the air around him dispersing harmlessly. _Wow…_

It was easily thirty feet tall, stark white marble shining in the sun. What looked like wings spread from her back, and her arms were raised to the sky. At this time in the day, it looked like she was holding the sun in her hands. Her face was stern, but gentle and caring at the same time.

Two miniature statues rested near her feet. They faced each other, one hand connected, while the others tilted toward the ground, a stream of clear water flowing out and gathering in a small pool carved out of the marble.

The ring on Naruto's finger pulsed brightly. The blond pulled it off as it shifted back into the form he had originally found it in, and set it in between the two smaller statues.

A beam of white light shot from the ground and into the beacon, lifting it into the air in front of the statue's chest, where it hovered, spinning in place. This also lit the water with a white glow.

A soft breeze blew across his face, carrying with it a word. _**Drink…**_ Recognizing the voice of Meridia, Naruto knelt at the pool and cupped his hand, scooping a handful of glowing liquid and drinking it down.

It was possibly the most refreshing thing he had ever drunk. White light filled his vision, and wind began to rush around his body, forcing him to close his eyes. When they opened, Naruto found himself floating high above the ground. The shrine looked like toy from his height. The air had a solid presence, but he still felt like he was floating.

A ball of white light raced from the center of the sun and started circling Naruto rapidly, chime-like giggles echoing from it. **"Hi!" **The ball of light chirped, **"I'm Telly! Meridia's messenger! It's nice to meet you!"**

The blond tried to watch the ball of light but stopped after the spinning made him dizzy. "Uh, hi, Telly. Where's Meridia?"

The ball of light (Telly) stopped in front of his face**. "Mom told me distract you for a minute while she slips into something more comfortable!"** Telly bobbed and hopped with every word, sometimes spinning rapidly in a small circle. **"I don't know what that means, but it sounds fun! Do you want to do fun things?"**

Before Naruto could answer, a deeper, gentle female voice answered for him. _**"Not right now, Telly. Maybe later. Please, go play in the gardens while I talk with Naruto."**_

Telly shook with joy at the though of play. **"Okay momma! Bye whiskers!"** The ball of light popped like a balloon filled with gold dust, leaving behind small particles that twinkled in the light.

Meridia chuckled, and Naruto took the time to fully observe the Daedric Lady of Light. She had white skin, not pale, but actually white skin that resembled marble. Her eyes were golden yellow and matched the sun's color, and her hair resembled spun gold. She wore only what seemed like a loose dress.

"_**It is good to finally meet you in person, Naruto."**_ She said with a small smile. _**"I've watched you through my beacon for sometime now. I'm glad you were able to return it."**_

Naruto bowed and smiled back, before rapidly paling. "Wait…you been watching me through the beacon? I…never took it off…"

Meridia giggled behind her hand and drifted behind the mortified dragon, settling over his shoulder like a mantle. _**"Oh yes, my dear, I saw everything…including your chat with Dibella."**_ She floated so she was only leaning on Naruto's shoulder and sighed. _**"Her interference with your creation is somewhat unexpected, though I felt she would eventually do so…"**_ Meridia shook her head. _**"In any case, this is not why I have called you here."**_ She settled both hands on his shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes. _**"My friend and Guardian of my shrine has become…corrupted. A malignant lich has latched onto her very being, taking over her mind and enslaving her power for his own uses."**_

Naruto frowned. Enslaving a Daedra's Chosen was a quick way to a long, torturous afterlife in Oblivion. "Who did this? And why?"

The Daedra shook her head. _**"I cannot say his name…the very words cause me pain…But I know what he is doing. He is attempting to use the power to raise an undead army. For what, I can only guess."**_

The blond narrowed his eyes and growled lightly. An undead army would spell trouble for everyone, not just Konoha. This mission just became far more important. "Where is he? What do I need to do?"

Meridia smiled softly and stroked his cheek. _**"Your dedication will serve you well in the future, my dear. Four miles to the east of the small town you approached from, hidden in the cliffs is an ancient crypt, built and forgotten long ago. You will find his servant, deep in the crypt. But be aware, he has also stolen my artifact, the Dawnbreaker, twisting its holy energies to strengthen himself."**_

Naruto nodded resolutely. "I'll do my best to bring it back. If you would set me down gently, I'll start. A fall from this height will put me out of action for a couple of days."

The Daedric Goddess pressed a soft kiss against his cheek and stroked his cheek. _**"Good luck. One more thing,"**_ She raised her hands in front of her and weaved sunlight together to form a white circle with a small raised section. _**"Take this flask and fill it from the sunwell. You will need it in the near future."**_

With that final advice, light filled Naruto's vision, and he found himself back in front of the shrine. He knelt and quickly filled the flask, prayed for good fortune and then took his leave, shrouding himself in wind and sprinting across the desert.

…

Minutes later, he skidded to a stop as he spotted a thick column of smoke rising into the air. _Oh shit,_ was his succinct thought.

Speeding off again, he found what he expected: the town was ransacked, the buildings mostly collapsed and belching acrid smoke into the air. Team Eight was treating the few villagers still there, and the Suna Team was nowhere to be found.

"What happened?" Where the first words out of Naruto's mouth.

The entire team, even the normally unflappable Shino, was pale and shaking. Kurenai pulled herself together with ease from years of practice. "We only came back a few minutes ago. We were following a lead nearby, but found nothing. When we returned, we found most of the town like this…and mummies. Dead mummies. They were dragging some of the villagers off."

Kiba threw his hands in the air and pointed at Naruto accusingly. "What the hell is with you, man?! Your first mission, you kill an Iwa-missing-nin, then you meet the new Mizukage, and now zombies?! What the fuck is going on?!"

Naruto shook his head. "Not right now. We have to track down those mummies. Meridia gave me a mission to stop the man making them, and I fear those villagers are not going to last long."

Kurenai gave him a searching look, but acquiesced. "Very well. But after this, you will explain everything, got it?"

He nodded and turned to Kiba. "Can you track them? We need to be fast."

The Inuzuka scoffed. "Can I track them? Of course I can! I'm the best tracker he-"

Shino cut in with a monotone voice. "They went east. I planted one of my females on one of them for this purpose. Follow me." Without any further words, she began to run, the rest following.

As they ran, Naruto noticed a slight shake to Shino's step and caught up to the kunoichi. "Shino-chan, is something wrong?"

The Aburame glanced at him shortly, the fear in her brown eyes conveying her terror. "I…dislike zombies…I have nightmares…"

Naruto blanched. He could understand that. He feared many things as well. "Don't worry, Shino-chan. I won't let them hurt you, okay?"

Her shoulders relaxed, if only slightly, and she nodded. They ran, following the Shino's bug, and the trench left in the sand by dragged bodies.

In the distance, a large funnel of sand formed in the distance and dispersed, before another formed and followed suit, dispersing in a cloud of sand.

"Get…away!" A familiar voice shouted as another funnel whirled across the desert floor. Team Eight came upon the sight of Temari and Kankuro fending off four mummies, each wielding some form of blade, mostly katana, with decayed leather armor stuck to their dried skin. Kankuro was kneeling on the sand, his left hand clutching his side, blood streaming onto the sand, with the other hand controlling his multi-limbed puppet. Temari was using her large fan, though neither of the siblings was being particularly effective.

Temari's wind jutsu only stumbled the undead, and Crow's small blades were ineffectual against the armor of the dead.

"Why won't you die?!" Temari yelled, sending another jutsu at the encroaching mummies.

The wind pushed the mummies onto their knees, but they rose again, relentless in their pursuit.

Suddenly, an icicle, two feet long and trailing steam like a comet punched through one of the mummies and lodged into another's head with a dry crack.

A rain of kunai and shuriken peppered the other, sending it to the ground under the weight of the metal weapons. An arrow zipped past Temari's head, ripped into the shoulder of the last mummy, followed by three more arrows that hit the other shoulder and both legs. The undead toppled over, still attempting to crawl to the ninja using only its chin.

Hinata rushed over to Kankuro with her hands beginning to glow with green medical chakra, followed by Kurenai. Kiba stood back and avoided going near the dead altogether, while Temari slumped over, leaning against her closed fan, panting from exertion. Shino had frozen at the sight of the mummies, her muscles locking in place and leaving her a shivering mess.

Naruto shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her from her shock, but she only shivered. "Shino." He said, "Come on. Snap out of it."

But the Aburame kunoichi only stood, her eyes wide with terror and unseeing behind her sunglasses. The blond wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a comforting hug. Shino's arms came up slightly and encircled his waist, but that only marginally reduced her fright.

Sighing slightly, Naruto turned her face to his, lifting her sunglasses up onto her forehead and pushing down the high collar of her jacket, exposing her soft pink lips to the harsh sunlight. Naruto pushed forward and meshed their lips together, finally getting a reaction.

Shino jerked against his lips, only now realizing that she was kissing her crush. Her hands came up to his head and entangled in his hair, pushing his lips harder against hers.

They broke apart, the kunoichi pulling her collar up in an attempt to hide the blush that colored her cheeks. "Thank you…" she mumbled quietly.

Temari sat in the sand next to her brother with an angry huff. "Why didn't any of our attacks work? My jutsu would have shredded a ninja!"

"That's just the problem," Naruto retorted as he approached the group of ninja. "They aren't ninja. You were using attacks that would take down a human, against an inhuman target."

He kicked the remaining mummy onto it's back, and picked it up by the front of its armor, carrying it closer to the group. Everyone flinched when it hissed at them, jerkily attempting to move its limbs, jumping when he dropped it roughly to the ground and pinned it with a scaled foot.

"Alright, quick lesson." He commented, pulling a scroll out of one of his many pockets. "These are undead. A human corpse resurrected and animated by magic. They can only use skills they had previously known before dying. Their bodies contain the magic used to animate them, so severing the routes, which follow the veins, affects the same as cutting the arm off of a human." He explained, pointing out the arrows protruding from the mummies shoulders. "The only way to kill them is cause irreparable damage to the container, usually through the face or the chest. In example:"

Naruto unsealed an axe from his scroll and resealed the dagger inside of it. He bent down and pulled the mummy up, before swinging the axe down and into the mummy's skull with a dry snap of ancient bone and metal. "Notice the eyes. After the magic has left, the eyes stop glowing. This means they aren't being animated by magic anymore, and they can't be animated again."

The others took that in as he yanked the arrows from the corpse and set them back in the quiver. "Where's your third?" Kurenai asked worriedly, noticing a distinct lack of red-heads in the area.

Temari's face hardened, and she pushed herself back to her feet, using her fan as a support. "Those things…they did something to her…she screamed and grabbed at her head, and her sand went wild…those mummies dragged her off with most of the townspeople."

Kurenai sighed and rubbed her temples with her hands in frustration. "We need to find where the mummies took the villagers, but we have no trail. How are we going to find them out here?" She looked to one her students with a question. "Shino?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "The kikaichu I was following was on one of the bodies here."

Naruto raised his right arm and opened his palm, letting an ethereal blue light coalesce in his palm. He squeezed it slightly, and trail of incandescent blue energy appeared on the sand. "I've got a trail. This only shows the way to go, so we'll have to search around the area it leads us to."

Time was of the essence, so whatever questions they may have had were swallowed and stored for later. The Sabaku siblings and Team Eight followed Naruto as they ran across the desert. Suddenly, Naruto skidded to a stop, a frown of confusion marring his face.

"What's going on? Why did we stop?" Temari asked with frustration in her voice.

The blond shook his head. "I don't know. The trail stops here, for no reason."

He walked to the end of the trail and looked down at it, trying to discern why it had stopped. Then, Naruto noticed that the trail hadn't stopped at all…it just went down.

A small, sharp crack behind his back gave him only a seconds' warning. "Ah, shit."

The crack of rock breaking surprised the group of ninja, making them jump back in surprise. Naruto plummeted out of sight with a surprised yell, followed by the rest of the ninja racing to the edge of what they now knew to be the edge of a cliff with cries of concern.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed in anguish.

They watched the form of Naruto rolling down the cliff face, bouncing off of the ledge before dropping straight to the ground, a cloud of dust puffing out around him.

Temari whipped her fan open and jumped onto it, balancing on the metal. "Wall-walk down, I'll check on the blond, I'm faster."

She descended in rapid spirals as the others fastened themselves to the walls with chakra and began to make their way down.

Naruto rolled over onto his face, a groan of pain escaping his lips. "Ow…hey Alduin, you remember that time I complained about being armored?"

"**I do"**

"Yeah, well, next time, remind me that I survived falling off a cliff because of it."

"_**Told you so!"**_

"**She did."**

The blond pushed himself onto his knees and shot his left hand into the air, the ball of warm light in his hand pulsing rapidly as tendrils of light whirled around his body, making his form glow slightly. Naruto sighed in relief as the bruises faded under the healing spell.

Temari collapsed her fan and hit the ground softly, running up to the downed shinobi and hauling him to his feet. "Are you alright?" She asked with concern.

Naruto leaned on her shoulder, panting. "I'll be fine, just let me get my wind back."

The blonde kunoichi wrapped an arm under his shoulders to take some more weight off of the shinobi, her hand unintentionally getting a good feel of the hard muscles decorating his torso. _Whoa…_ Temari thought to herself, _his muscles are rock hard…how hard does this guy train?_

Naruto poked her in the side, bringing her attention down to his amused eyes. "I'm feeling better, Temari-san. You can stop feeling my chest now. Or don't, I don't mind."

Temari jumped back in surprise, an embarrassed blush lighting her cheeks. "Pervert!" She shouted in reflex.

The blond raised an eyebrow in humor. "So…I'm the pervert because _you_ were feeling _me_ up? What does that make you?"

The blonde's blush now covered her entire face and neck. "I-I meant- you have a girlfriend! The kunoichi with the heavy coat!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, blushing as well. "Well, kind of. I'm in a relationship with a couple of women…no one seems to want to put a label on what we have."

Temari gaped at him in shock. "Why?"

He shrugged uselessly. "I don't know. I won't pretend I understand the mind of the fairer sex. It's a dark, scary place that will eat my soul, melt my brain, and convince me that wine is actually alcohol."

The Suna kunoichi gave him a dry look. "You do know I'm a woman, right?"

Mischief glimmered in Naruto's eyes. He slowly and obviously dragged his eyes up and down Temari's form, which was pressed into his side. "Believe me, I _definitely_ know…"

As he watched the blood rush to the kunoichi's cheeks, Naruto heard a grumble in his head. _**"And here he goes again…"**_

"**He can't help it, you know that. He's absolutely clueless when it comes to dealing with women."**

"_**Doesn't mean I don't like it."**_

"**What do you like?"**

"_**Blood, carnage, torture, lava, screams of terror-"**_

"**Never mind. I should've known better."**

Naruto was drawn away from his tenants by the scuffle as the other ninja arrived and joined him and Temari. "Are you alright?" Hinata asked in concern.

The blond stood on his feet, unassisted. "I'm fine. A little banged up, but nothing bad."

"Where's the place we're supposed to go?" Kiba griped, ready to get back to fighting.

Shino pointed behind the Inuzuka Shinobi, where the mouth of a dark cave waited.

Suddenly, Kiba wasn't all that eager.

"Remember what I told you," Naruto said. "Genjutsu won't work, neither will poisons nor small wounds. Go for the big damage. Break them open if you have to."

The group took a few more seconds to steel their nerves…before they entered the cave, and entered a realm of the dead.

…

"What is this place?" Kankuro murmured, his hands outstretched, chakra strings attached to his puppet.

The walls were solidly-packed sand, with a few torches here and there. They hadn't seen anybody or any bodies, but the creepy echoes and clicking unnerved them.

The hall they were in opened up into a small room, where alcoves had been gouged out of the walls, allowing the bodies of dead, mummified men to rest, still clad in leather armor and their weapons.

"I don't like this place," Kiba muttered. "It smells like dry, dead flesh and blood."

As if given a signal, the sounds of ancient bones cracking and dry sinew twisting filled the air. The mummies in the alcoves had begun to rise, groaning and rattling.

Naruto dashed towards the nearest mummy, planting his axe into it's skull with a loud crack and the death rattle of the body as the magic left. He ducked under a wild slash from another and hacked the arms off and grasped the skull with his left hand and crushed it into dust.

The others had done well, despite their nerves on the situation. Temari had kept her fan folded up, using it as a bludgeon to quite a good effect. The four bodies of newly-dead mummies with crumpled heads attested to that fact.

Kiba, Kurenai and Shino had banded together, using kunai to keep the dead away. Kankuro stood back and let his multi-limbed puppet hack at the dead with bladed arms. A mass clicking and creaking sounded behind Naruto as the others finished the last draugr off. He turned, only to find at least five more mummies charging into the room.

Without thinking, Naruto pivoted, dropping his axe and thrusting both cupped hands out, white-hot flames leaping from his palms and into the crowd of walking dead. To his surprise, the mummies lit up like a gas-soaked rag. They quickly collapsed into a pile of burning bodies, only on fire for few seconds before being consumed entirely, leaving melted metal behind to mark their passage back into death.

Naruto looked at the ashen remains of the zombies with surprise. _Maybe I overpowered the fire spell?_ He flicked a hand at a nearby corpse, throwing a small stream of sparks at it. It caught fire easily, turning into a raging inferno that consumed the body quickly.

A wide grin stretched over Naruto's lips. _Oh yes, I can work with this!_ He quickly brought his left hand up to his cheek, piercing the skin and the rune inscribed invisibly there. He brought his hand up and let the blood drip onto his palm, where it caught fire and turned into an inferno in a ball. Naruto pointed his hand at a nearby corner of the room and squeezed the ball slightly.

With a sound similar to a melting gong being struck, a fiery portal burst into existence, startling the others and making them jump in surprise. A figure emerged from the portal with a cry of joy and twirl of happiness.

"_Yes!"_ Ember cried out in joy as she danced around the room, leaving a trail of fire behind her, _"I'm outside! I get to burn stuff! Woohoo!"_

She spotted Naruto, standing by the next hallway with an amused look on her face, and without warning, charged at the half-dragon with surprising speed. She slammed into him, taking both of them to ground in a cloud dust.

"_Master!"_ Ember squealed joyously, rubbing her fiery cheek against his.

As the Flame Atronach clutched her master, the other ninja watched with shocked and amused looks. Temari nudged Hinata's shoulder and asked, "Does shit like this happen often?"

The Hyuuga Heiress giggled into her hand at the sight of Naruto trying to escape the grip Ember had on him and replied, "Not really, only around Naruto. He's like a magnet for weird things like this."

The creaking of draugr alerted the group to another crowd of the dead coming for them. Ember looked up from her spot on top of Naruto with an irritated glare (even if she didn't have any visible eyes) on her face. _"Excuse you, I am __**CUDDLING!**__"_

With an angry flick of a three-fingered hand, a wave of fire rolled over the mummies, incinerating the entire group and leaving only the heavy smell of brimstone behind.

Naruto pushed the Atronach off of him with a serious visage. "Whoever is behind this knows we're here. We need to be fast if we're going to stop this."

Everyone nodded, the humor in the air fading as if it was never there. They prepared themselves for the next fight and ran into the hallway.

There were only a few draugr there that were easily dispatched by the flurry of kunai from the ninja. As they ran past, Kankuro pulled the weapons out of the dead bodies and distributed them back out, scooping up a rusted but still workable wakizashi as he did, taking control of his puppet with one hand.

A side-room filled with mummies was bypassed with Naruto almost casually blowing them into a corner with a sharp, _**"Fus!"**_, Ember lighting the pile of corpses on fire as an afterthought.

A tunnel filled with rubble blocked the path they were following, so they had to take a side-tunnel and go around. As they ran down this tunnel, a scream drew them to pair of large, ancient and heavy wooden doors.

Everyone pushed against the doors, channeling chakra into their bodies to increase their strength, and the door didn't even budge, not even when they concentrated on the center.

Naruto backed away from the door and waved the others away. "Get out of the way!" He shouted in warning. He crossed his arms over his face and chest protectively and jogged at the door. Halfway there, he shouted, _**"Wuld!"**_

With a thunderous crack, he disappeared in a burst of speed that would have the Yondaime Raikage blinking. With Naruto's weight and the momentum built up by jogging at the door, added onto that the speed that Whirlwind Sprint brought was basically shooting a cannonball into the old door. It was built to withstand much, but not that much.

Naruto erupted through the door in a shower of lumber and splinters. Team Eight and the Suna ninja followed behind him.

Taking in the scene at a glance, they saw several things. One was a pile of dead bodies, some more rotten then the others, and others much more fresh, including a few of the villagers from Sajin. Another was a group of live villagers, bound but not gagged so their tormentors could hear their cries and begging. Another was Naruto, stuck in the far wall. Apparently, his momentum was too great for him to stop, so the wall stopped him instead. The last was a raised slab of stone, caked and blackened by dried blood.

There were only a few draugr around the room and they were dispatched fairly quickly. The last enemy was a living human, dressed in black robes and a cowl the exuded menace and fashion. He was dying, though. He had been in Naruto's path, and was subsequently hurled aside when unstoppable force met movable object. He had been impaled through the chest on a nearby torch bracket, with the metal prongs creating a cage around his heart. He was dying, slowly and painfully.

Lying on the ground, dazed, confused and more than a little relieved, was Hana, the purveyor of the only hotel in Sajin.

As the ninja started to free the prisoners, Kurenai approached the dying man and ripped the cowl away from his face. She gasped in shock and dropped the piece of cloth to the ground at his appearance.

His eyes had lost all color, becoming a pale white that resembled the Byakugan. His skin had become grey and translucent, showing black veins that throbbed underneath.

The man coughed blood and smiled a crazed, happy smile. "Shukaku will live…!" He exclaimed with his last breath, closing his eyes the final time and dying a second later.

Naruto managed to wrench his arms from the wall in which he'd been imbedded, having heard everything the dying zealot had to say. "That's not good. A crazed fanatic shouting something is never good."

Temari and Kankuro paled at name, drawing the attention of the Konoha ninja. "Do you know something?" Kurenai asked seriously.

The two Suna ninja glanced at each other and held a silent conversation with just their eyes and small facial twitches. It ended with Temari glaring at her brother steadily as he shook his head in a panicked fashion, before he sighed and gave her a look that said 'you do it.'

The blonde kunoichi turned to them and rubbed her temples. "Gaarin is the jinchuriki of the Ichibi no Tanuki, Shukaku. Having the One-tail sealed inside of her pin-point control of any sand, but the seal was poorly made and lets Shukaku torment her from her own mind. It also takes over when she sleeps, so she is a forced insomniac. She likes to sit on top of buildings to watch the moon at night."

Naruto had his fists clenched in anger at the thought of someone like him being tortured by something she never asked for.

And then the last part of Temari's explanation hit. Thankfully, the majority of his blush was covered the clan markings on his cheeks. Kurenai had no defense, however. They shot each other an embarrassed look, the same though running through their heads: _She probably saw us having sex._

Temari noticed the eye contact and filed it away for later. "I think someone would have fixed the seal earlier, but no on in Suna has the sealing skill to do so, so Shukaku runs free in my sister's head." She said with sadness.

Naruto felt a spike of curiosity from the Kyuubi within his mind. _**"Strange…"**_ She commented.

_What's strange?_ He asked.

"_**Shukaku is a dude's name…last I checked, all of the Biju are female. And the Ichibi was never called anything other than her name…"**_

_Which is?_ He probed gently.

Kyuubi scoffed in his head. _**"As if I would tell you. There aren't many things I hold sacred-"**_

Alduin's muttering of **"No, really?"** went ignored.

"_**-But one of those is my sisters' names. Those are earned. And before you ask, you have yet to prove yourself to me, despite whatever my father says."**_

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought, but was drawn away by Kurenai speaking. "Someone will have to watch over the villagers while we go further. Will anyone volunteer?" She asked.

Without any hesitation, Kankuro raised his hand. "I'll do it."

When Temari gave him an accusing glare, he explained. "Look, I'm not the most physical of shinobi, and it's only going to worse from here. I wouldn't be of much help anyways, I use poisons too much without anything else, really." He held up a finger in declaration. "Which, if we survive this, I am going to fix."

He jacked a thumb at the multi-limbed puppet standing inert next to him. "Plus, with Karasu here, it's like a two for one. So that's a bonus."

Kurenai tapped her chin in thought, glancing at Kiba with thoughtful eyes. He noticed the look. "Oh, fuck no! I am not staying here watching some old people!"

"Do you know any non-clan related techniques, Kiba?" His sensei asked. "Anything beyond Inuzuka techniques?"

"Yeah!" He stated, "I know the Bunshin, Kawarimi and the Henge! I had to know to pass the exam!"

Shino stepped forward with a harsh tone. "We are wasting time. Kiba, you used Akamaru to pass the Bunshin test, you take three-point-one-seven seconds to form the handseals for Kawarimi and another one-point-two seconds to actually use the technique. Henge is useless here, they're all magically animated corpses. All of your clan techniques area close-to-mid-range combat, with would be helpful if our enemies didn't use swords. You would be best-suited to staying behind to protect the elderly and the civilians. Now stop arguing, we need to move."

The others stared at the Aburame kunoichi with shock. Most hadn't heard her speak that much over the years they've known her, especially with a tone.

"But-but-" Kiba protested weakly.

Shino reached into her thigh pouch and pulled out a roll of explosive notes. She then rolled them up into a cylinder and bopped Kiba on the nose. "Stay."

She tucked her hands into her pockets and walked out of the room. Still shocked, the others not staying behind followed her.

Naruto suddenly drawn out of his shock by a realization asked, "Has anyone seen Ember?"

Shino pointed ahead of them at the trail of blackened sand that went down the hall. They could faintly hear shouts and laughter.

"_FIRE! Hahahaha! BURN, MUMMY-MAN, BURN!"_

They ran after her, only seeing scattered embers and ash decorating the halls. When they finally caught up, they found her unleashing a torrent of flames on a group of helpless draugr while laughing manically.

When Ember finally stopped, she drooped, the flames that crackled around her body turning red. She spun around and latched onto Naruto with a desperate voice. _"Master! My flames are dimming! You must stoke them!"_

Slightly worried, Naruto asked, "How can I do that?"

Ember responded by stroking his cheek with her hand, her flames turning pink. _"You must kiss me, master~"_

"Your mouth is white-hot metal, Ember." Naruto pointed out dryly.

The Flame Atronach pouted. _"You can take it!"_

With out saying a word, Naruto wreathed his hand in fire and grabbed Ember's arm. As he thought, she glowed and her flames brightened.

Ignoring her sad _"Awww…"_ they moved on. Oddly enough, they didn't come across anymore mummies. They did find some old books that were sealed into a scroll Temari carried on her for later investigation.

The door they found was a large stone behemoth that could fit eight men shoulder-to-shoulder. Ahead if that door was a team of draugr under the command of another zealot, this one a woman. They were clearing away rubble from the main hallway.

The group exchanged looks and nodded. Naruto made a motion for Ember to stay back before pulling another axe out of his scroll as the kunoichi grabbed kunai.

Kurenai snuck up behind the zealot as the others prepared to throw. Quietly, she reached up, wrapping a hand around the zealot's mouth and an arm around her throat as the others let fly with weapons. Two axes and four kunai found their marks in the back of the mummy's heads, and they fell with only the dry cracking of skulls and metal to mark their passing.

Kurenai tied the zealot to a nearby wooden support with ninja wire and ripped the cowl from her head.

The zealot did not look any better than the other, with lank brown hair, pale eyes and black veins crawling underneath her skin.

"What is your purpose here?" The sensei demanded, her kunai at the woman's throat.

The zealot laughed crazily, showing yellowed teeth. "You can't stop my lord! Shukaku will live! My life for my lord!"

Her eyes rolled up into her head and she started to shake violently. Red light began to stream from her body, flowing away from her and through the door.

Recognizing a health draining spell, Naruto dashed forward and swung his axe forward into the zealot's bared neck.

With a meaty chop, the woman's head rolled off of her shoulders and onto the ground, her body going slack. The kunoichi had jumped back at the first glow. Glowing, in the ninja world, meant bad things. Usually, it meant a fire jutsu or an explosive tag. They were relieved that nothing had exploded.

"I have a bad feeling about whatever is behind this door," Temari commented, looking at the behemoth in their way. She walked up to it and pushed gently, trying to gauge how heavy the door was. To her surprise, both doors swung open smoothly and quietly, very contradictory for an ancient stone door.

Temari paled, as did the others who joined her a second later. "Oh shit…"

Standing in rows upon rows, shoulder-to-shoulder and still as the grave…were hundreds of mummies. But, unlike the ones they'd seen before, these wore armor that bore more than a passing resemblance to samurai armor, freshly polished with a katana and wakiszashi pair on their belts.

Very slowly, the group of ninja and one Atronach backed away from the door, and once out of view of the undead army, they dashed over to a wall.

Hinata had her dojutsu activated, examining the room and the bodies within. "None of mummies in there are being animated. It's just a large amount of bodies standing in one spot."

Kurenai though for a second, brightening when she had an idea. "We all know the walk walking exercise, right?" She asked, looking at Temari for confirmation.

When she nodded, the sensei continued. "We can wall-walk over the army by sticking to the roof. Hinata, I want you to keep your Byakugan on the entire time, alright? We'll have to be quick."

Getting their agreements, the jonin led them just past the doors and to the wall. Naruto dismissed Ember back to her place within his mind, ignoring her whines of protest. Kurenai crawled up the wall, using both her hands and her feet for safety, with Temari, Hinata, Shino and Naruto following. The veins around Hinata's eyes were bulging, indicative of her usage of the Byakugan.

They took it slowly, but it was starting to wear on the ones with lesser chakra pools. Sweat began to drip down Hinata's face, and she started panting. Seeing her distress, Naruto grabbed the kunoichi and pulled her onto his chest so he had his hands free and she could recuperate, if only a little.

He shifted her onto his back as they landed on the other side of the cavern and handed out a few vials full of green liquid. "Drink these, it'll boost your chakra."

The girls threw the drinks back without question, blinking in surprise when they felt their reserves refilled. After taking up arms again, they moved through the doorway and up a steep incline. They came to a fork, the smaller one leading left and the larger leading right.

"I think the living quarters for whoever's in charge is down the left, and the other path leads to something else." Naruto commented. "We might find something useful on the living quarters, so let's go that way first."

The group made their way down the left-hand hall, on alert for anything suspicious. Finding only a wooden door that was unlocked, they relaxed slightly and entered. There was a bed, a desk overflowing with ancient scrolls and tomes, and then something that made Naruto gasp in shock.

It was a pillar of stone, carved with sigils and archaic runes, topped with a round slab of stone with more runes and pictures, the most outstanding ones being a hand that seemed to be on fire, a strange runic character that looked kind of like a gate, and a bird with its' wings spread. They stood out the most because they were glowing a light blue.

Naruto's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull. "Holy shit…" He muttered quietly. "He has an Enchanter's Table. An Enchanter's Table!"

Now, the blond was legitimately freaking right the fuck out with excitement. "By Akatosh! I thought these didn't exist any more!" He ran over to it and examined every angle of the table. "This is in perfect working order! I've got to take this!"

He pulled a sealing scroll from within one of the pockets on his vest and sealed the table away with a puff of smoke.

"Alright, nerd moment over, let's take a look at this desk." Naruto walked over to the desk and started flipping through books, joined a second later by the others. They scanned over everything there, finding scrolls on ancient Suna history, which Temari took to bring back to Sunagakure.

Shino had found a leather-bound book that she was reading intently. Naruto shifted a scroll out of the way and found a purple book with the rune of Alteration on the front. Flicking it open, he found the title and quickly schooled his reaction to boredom. Shino called the others over to her to look at the journal, and he took the chance to disintegrate the book on how to raise zombies with a quick application of lightning.

"Look at this," Shino murmured, holding the book wide. They read through it quickly. It was about a man named Takeshi, an Anthropologist from the Court of the Wind Daimyo. It detailed his discovery of the catacombs and his excitement over the history of his people, his discovery of a strange statue made out of black rock that spoke to him and told him about a man named Shukaku, an immortal who had gained power by latching his soul onto a Biju and subjugating it to his will. It then began to devolve into increasingly insane ramblings, followed by the line: '**My life for Shukaku! My life for my lord!'** That repeated several times before the journal ended abruptly.

The group traded worried looks with one another. "So, we have a maniac with an army of zombies, who's serving a mad priest who's controlling the Ichibi, who took my sister so they could rip the power out of her body and take over the world." Temari sighed and rubbed her temples in distress. "Great."

She felt the hands of Kurenai, Hinata, Shino and Naruto as they tried to give her some measure of comfort. Temari shook it off and stood, taking a deep, fortifying breath. "Alright, no use sitting around feeling bad for my sister, let's go get her back."

Grabbing the journals and scrolls as evidence, they left the room and strode down the other fork, preparing to face the insane Takeshi. They came to a large stone door that had a wooden bar keeping shut and locked. Forgoing any sort of stealth, Naruto drew his right foot back and kicked the center of the door and the bar.

The door was ripped off of its hinges as the bar splintered, and suddenly, the wished they hadn't taken the other path first.

Gaarin's screams of agony echoed through the large room from the back. She lay on her back, tied down to an altar by her hands and feet across a large room, the floor made of sand and covered in hundreds if not thousands of bones. Standing up Gaarin was a man, with long, greasy locks of hair and a scraggly beard. His eyes were a sickly yellow and his skin was a pale grey with black veins that throbbed under his skin.

He stood above her, holding a black book in one hand and a small black statue in the other. Dark, malicious energy streamed from Gaarin's stomach and into the statue as she screamed in pain.

"Gaarin!" Temari shouted, drawing her fan and sprinting across the field of sand and bones. "Get away from her!"

A sharp gust of wind flew from her iron fan at Takeshi, but impacted a couple of feet away from him on a shimmering shield of magic. The mad Anthropologist looked at them with crazed eyes. "Defilers! Debasers and defilers! My lord will take your souls!"

Black energy raced across the ground, gathering bones and fitting them together into whole, fleshless skeletons that grabbed other bones for weapons.

Temari growled and swung her fan around her body. "Get out of my way! Kamatachi no jutsu!"

She released a whirlwind that scattered the skeletons easily, picking up many bones and throwing them across the room.

"My master is risen!" Takeshi screamed in triumph as he hefted the statue over his head. before they could stop him, he slammed it onto Gaarin's chest.

The metal melted across her chest and formed over it into a small piece of armor that had two glowing yellow eyes and a crooked mouth filled with broken teeth.

"**I am alive and powerful once more!"** Shukaku crowed gleefully. He pulled Gaarin's body up like a puppet, her head dangling listlessly with her eyes rolled up into her head.

"**I sense fresh souls, powerful souls! I will devour them!"** He leapt from the altar to the middle of the room as his malicious power began to permeate the entire room. The sand and bones began to swirl about his form as pure power threw the other ninja to every corner of the room.

They could only watch in shock as the sand condensed around Gaarin's form, helpless to stop it.

The Sand formed the top half of a body sticking out of the ground, the bones ground to dust and applied about the body like armor. Four arms stuck out from it's shoulders, topped by claws. The head was made up of a multitude of skulls that formed into a bone-white sick grin.

"**COME TO ME! I HUNGER FOR YOUR SOULS!"**

…

In the large room that held the villagers from Sajin, the ground trembled ominously, dust falling from the rafters.

Kankuro and Kiba, playing with his puppet and his puppy respectively, looked up at the roof in trepidation. They looked at each other, and then the villagers.

"I think we should get the fuck out of here." Kiba said bluntly.

"Agreed." Kankuro said quickly.

After gathering the villagers, they booked it out of the catacombs as fast as they could go.

…

Shukaku raised two of his arms in front of his face, catching the Katon technique from Kurenai and allowing it to glass those limbs. With a roar, the sand-monster shattered his limbs with his other arms, allowing them to shatter on the ground, before they were ground into sand and re-attached.

Shino and Hinata could not do much but dodge the arms of Shukaku that attacked them. Their sensei found that none of her genjutsu worked, Shukaku not having any eyes or other human parts for her techniques to work. She was reduced to using her ninjutsu, of which she knew very little, compared to others. She was a jonin for a reason, but this was beyond her abilities. She had teamed up with her students, raining kunai and shuriken down on Shukaku and doing nothing to damage him.

Temari unleashed jutsu after jutsu, trying to peel away at the sand covering her sister, but the arms struck out at her, forcing her to dodge or redirect her techniques to save her life.

Naruto ran forward, sliding underneath a swing and jumping onto the limb as it came back. He climbed towards the head, wary of the other arms, using his axes as handholds. Jumping the last distance, he swung himself around Shukaku's neck, digging his taloned feet into the sandy back.

He hacked away at the head, leaning back as it tried to rip him from his perch. The sand Naruto had been standing on bucked, throwing him into the air, where one of the arms caught him.

"**Little fly, fly away!"** Shukaku taunted, pulling his arm back to hurl Naruto in a wall.

The blond half-dragon acted quick, summoning a fireball to his hand and launching it into the sand monster's laughing face.

Shukaku roared in pain and flung Naruto away, clutching at his face.

Naruto landed next to Temari roughly, rolling and hopping to his feet. "Together!" They yelled at the same time, having the same idea.

Temari pulled her fan back and then whipped it forward. "Daikamataichi no Jutsu!"

Naruto summoned up his power from within his throat, breathing deeply and then exhaling as he shouted, _**"YOL!"**_

The torrent of flame that leapt from his mouth mixed with the tornado of wind blades Temari had summoned, empowering both. The wall of flame burned towards Shukaku's form.

In an act of desperation, the monster ripped open its' chest and showed the tortured form of Gaarin inside, ready to be consumed by the conflagration.

"Shit!" Naruto yelled in alarm. He leapt forward and opened his mouth, shouting once more. _**"DAAL!DU!"**_

The wall of flame stopped, and reversed course, flying back towards Temari and Naruto. A funnel of energy erupted from Naruto's mouth and caught the fire, sucking it into his mouth and lungs.

It finally dissipated, leaving Naruto coughing ash.

"**FOOLS!"** Shukaku boomed, **"YOUR EMOTIONS WILL BE THE END OF YOU!"**

He lashed out, striking Temari and throwing her across the room and into Shino. He then whipped another arm around and hit Naruto full force, hurling him into a pillar on the other side of the room.

Naruto hit the pillar hard. He could feel his ribs shatter and rib out of his back, making him cry out in pain. He hit the ground and lay there, his vision covered by black spots.

His vision flickered in and out, until something white and round rolled into his eyesight and then fell to the ground.

Absently grabbing it, Naruto examined the small flask he had been give by Meridia. Suddenly, his thoughts were pulled back to that morning.

"_**Take this flask and fill it from the sunwell. You will need it in the near future."**_

His eyes widened in realization as Alduin cast a heavy healing spell from within his body. **"Come on kid! We can only do so much! Finish it!"**

"_**I will not have my mate dying on me, not to fucking Shukaku of all people! Get your ass up!"**_

Naruto's ribs popped back into place, but he ignored the pain and dashed across the room to the girls. "I know how to end this! Hit the shoulders with explosive tags!"

Without waiting for their consent, he ran forward, right in front of Shukaku. **"You have come to die, mortal! Good, I don't want to waste anymore time with you insects!"**

Four kunai, explosive tags wrapped around the handles struck his shoulders and detonated, the explosions tearing his sandy limbs off and sending them to the floor.

Naruto drew back and pulled on as much power as he could, concentrating on his throat. He leaned forward, opening his mouth _roaring_.

"_**FUS-RO!"**_ A wave of pure force, three times as large and powerful as any others before it, erupted from Naruto's mouth, tearing across the distance and smashing into the Shukaku's face, obliterating it into a trillion particles of sand, leaving a jagged hole in the neck and bending his body back.

Naruto leapt forward, digging his talons in and pushing himself up Shukaku's body to his shoulders, where his head was already starting to regrow.

With the flask in hand, Naruto jumped onto Shukaku's shoulders, planted his feet on either side of the neck, and hurled the flask down into the hole.

Down, straight to where Gaarin resided.

"**NOOO!"**

White light exploded from within the body, scattering the sand into the air, as well as throwing Naruto across the room, where landed on the stone altar.

The girls where thrown back by the force, shielding their face from the light and sand. They looked up and saw Gaarin.

The black breastplate that had covered her chest lightened to a pure white as a tendril of black energy leapt from it and into Takeshi. Her eyes glowed white as the sand she had been surrounded by lost color and became pure white.

Takeshi leapt from his spot and raced towards the altar fearfully.

A whip of white sand lashed around his ankle and pulled him to the ground. Looking back, he saw Gaarin with a fierce scowl on her normally placid face. _"Shukaku! You do not get to run! Not after what you've done!"_

His dark power lashed out against her sand, battling fiercely for his freedom as Shukaku overrode Takeshi's mind. **"No! I will not by destroyed by you!"**

Naruto watched in awe as the two forces battle, before his mind was visited by a soft, airy presence. _**"My champion! You must hurry! My sword, Dawnbreaker, is just above you! It is the only thing that can finally destroy Shukaku forever!"**_

Looking up, he spotted the golden, scaled hilt of the Dawnbreaker sticking from a pillar of black stone where it was buried.

Naruto pushed himself up and raced towards the stairs leading to the pillar, something Shukaku noticed. **"No!"**

He threw a bolt of malicious black energy that was intercepted by a ball white sand, dispersing both.

"_You will pay for all those centuries of torture!"_ The Ichibi within Gaarin cried angrily, focusing her sand into a lance that she hurled at the body of Takeshi, which smashed against his shield of black energy.

Holy fire erupted from the Dawnbreaker, engulfing Naruto within its' flames. It tore at his face, stripped the flesh from his cheeks and stabbed at his eyes, but he still persevered through it.

"**I will not be ended like this!" **Shukaku screamed, releasing a pulse of power that disrupted the Ichibi's focus and allowed him a reprieve, one he used to dash at Naruto at speeds barely anyone could follow.

Naruto's hand clasped around the hilt just as Shukaku reached him. With a roar of exertion and mighty pull, the Dawnbreaker came free from it's confines, the silver blade cutting across Shukaku's chest.

The holy power of the blade rejected the monster's evil energy and lit him aflame with white fire. Shukaku screamed in pain as he was burned away.

Naruto held the blade parallel to his shoulder with both hands and swung horizontally.

Shukaku's head flew from his shoulders as his body erupted in blue flames that burned through the catacombs, disintegrating any undead it came in contact with and releasing the troubled souls back to their deaths.

The body of the man that was once Takeshi the Anthropologist burned away until it was naught but ashes.

Naruto walked down the stairs, holding the Dawnbreaker loosely. As he hit the sand, white sparkles flowed across his vision, adding weight to his already slumped shoulders and sapping his strength.

He looked up, seeing Kurenai, Hinata, Shino and Temari lying on the ground and became alarmed, the adrenaline pushing the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness back. Naruto relaxed slightly as he spotted their chests rising and falling and let himself slump to the ground on his back. He could only look up as the red hair of Gaarin filled his vision. Her eyes were still white, showing the Ichibi still being in control.

"_Don't worry, I just want you to rest. I'll take care of you."_ She reached down and took Naruto in her arms, hugging to her chest tightly. _"Thank you for freeing me, Naruto. I'll always be in your debt."_

She kissed his forehead softly as tears of happiness trailed down her face.

"What…what's your name?" Naruto managed to ask through the descending veil of sleep.

"_I'm Masshirona Sunahama, but my friends call me Shiro. Sleep now."_

Naruto's eyes closed, and he drifted away into dreams, briefly feeling something soft and silken brush against his lips and a whispered voice.

"_**Thank you…my Champion."**_

…

It felt like he was floating in the air, not falling or flying, just floating. A soft breeze tickled his hair, and forced him to pry open his eyes reluctantly.

Naruto found himself in a room made from packed sand and wood, a window letting the sunlight from the setting sun shine in. He propped himself up on the pillows and took a look at his bedding. He was surprised to find that it seemed to be made out of white sand. He was not surprised, however, to find himself in his boxers. It had been happening more and more often lately, and he supposed that he was getting used to it.

The door opened and admitted Gaarin into the room. She wore a thin red robe that hugged her slender body and meshed quite well with her hair. Her lips were curved in a thin smile, and the black marks around her eyes had shrunk somewhat, looking less like bruises and more like mascara.

"Good evening, Naruto." She said, her voice still mostly monotone but also teasing. "You must have been tired to sleep through two days."

Naruto chuckled lightly. "Yeah. Dealing with zombies and a mad lich can really drain your energy. I'm glad it worked out in the end." He stretched lightly and yawned. "How are the others?"

Gaarin moved to his bed and climbed on it, sitting on Naruto's legs. "They're perfectly fine. They just finished helping to rebuild the town and are eating dinner right now."

"Well," He said, "I should go join them, let them know I'm awake."

The red-headed kunoichi waved her hand absently, commanding the sand to move. It wrapped around his hands and pulled him down so his head was resting on the pillows, and she crawled up his body until she was straddling his waist. "Not yet. I haven't been able to thank you in my own way yet."

"Uh-"

Gaarin put a finger on his lips to silence Naruto. "I did think about giving you my virginity," She mused, "I want to experience what the jonin did."

At that point, Naruto became aware of the contact between their skins. He noticed (Mara did he notice) just how soft her skin was. It was almost like freshly woven silk, warm to the touch and smooth.

"But Shiro made a point in telling me just how little I know you." Gaarin continued absently, stroking along the paint on Naruto's face. "I've only really known you for about a day. And that's not enough time to really know my desires."

She bent forward and kissed his lips gently. Her lips were like velvet, and the kiss burned against his lips.

It didn't move beyond being chaste, but it was sweet and passionate all the same.

Gaarin parted from Naruto and pointed at her forehead, where the Kanji for love sat, carved into her skin. "When I carved this into my head, I only thought I could only love myself. But without Shukaku's influence, I know I can find love."

She reached down and kissed Naruto softly again, before lying next to him and cuddling up to his side, letting the grains of sand that made up her robe fall away, showing her in a conservative red bra and panties. "I know you don't love me yet, Naruto, but you will in time. Just like I will. I can feel it."

She took a pinch of white sand and flicked it in Naruto's eyes, making him fall asleep immediately. She snuggled up to him and pulled a blanket of sand over their bodies, and then let herself drift off, to dreams of blond haired-man and a red-haired woman making love under the full moon.

…

The next day, after the town had thanked them for their services in stopping the mummies and Shukaku, Team Eight, Naruto and the Sand siblings left, heading back together on a path that would eventually split and take them to their own villages.

But first, a pit stop to take in one of the cooler tourist attractions in Kaze no Kuni.

"The Arrow is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the world," Temari commented, watching the water rush past so quickly it didn't even roar. "It can pick up boulders and carry them down stream. No one has really followed it to where it ends, but it's also the longest water feature in Kaze no Kuni."

Kankuro hefted a rock. "Watch." He tossed it into the water, and the Konoha ninja watched in amazement as it was carried on the current with speed like that of an arrow in flight.

"That's amazing." Hinata said with awe.

Naruto approached the edge and looked down at it with wonder. "Where does all this water come from?" he asked.

Temari shrugged. "No one really knows. Don't stand too close to the edge, though. The banks tend to erode away really-"

With a small crack, the ground shifted and broke, dumping Naruto into the rapids of the Arrow with little warning.

"Naruto!" they screamed in shock.

They all raced down the bank, catching sight of Naruto's black vest and blond hair through the water.

Naruto felt like he was being crushed, drowned and smashed with battering rams at the same time. He bound off of a rock embedded in the bed of the rapids, hearing his spine crack through the roaring in his ears.

He slammed into another rock, lashing out in desperation and digging his talons into the surface of the stone. He couldn't pull himself up from the strength of the tide, it was too fast.

His eyes connected with the horrified eyes of the ones on the bank. He struggled to push his other hand into the air, and it took all of his will power to cast the water-breathing spell before the rapids ripped him from the rock.

He smashed into the ground, red-hot pain emanating from his back, before Naruto knew no more.

…

(Konohagakure, Hokage's Office)

Sarutobi Hiruzen smoked his pipe with relish, enjoying the feeling of victory that came with his conquering of his most hated enemy. The group of secretaries he had finally managed to hire had taken a load off his shoulder (and hands).

The door slid open, admitting Team Eight into the office.

Hiruzen looked up, the smile on his face dying at the red eyes present on the team. "What happened?" He asked seriously.

At his question, Hinata burst into tears and clutched Shino for comfort.

As Kurenai began to speak, Hiruzen felt his sense of victory flee like chaff before a hurricane.

…

(Konohagakure, Hokage's Office)

"Do you know what this is about?" Kakashi asked Gai lazily.

The excitable man shrugged, surprisingly somber. "I don't really know, but I feel something very unyouthful in the air."

The Hokage arrived and sat himself down, his hat covering his eyes. "This is never easy to say," He spoke in a quiet, sad tone. "But one of our own has gone missing."

_Naruto's breath exploded from his mouth, along with a good amount of water. He could feel the knife-like blades of rock stuck in his back and in the back of his right thigh. He definitely wouldn't be walking anytime soon._

"After a successful mission with a team from Sunagakure, Team Eight and Naruto stopped by a tourist attraction in Kaze no Kuni, the Arrow."

_He dragged himself away from the bank of the slower-flowing river, biting back the burning pain from his wounds. He reached down and yanked the shard of rock from the back of his thigh, clenching his teeth to avoid shouting._

"_Hey, I see someone!"_

"Unfortunately, an accident occurred, and Naruto was pulled into the river, which swept him away quickly. Kurenai and her team, along with the team from Suna, attempted to follow him from the bank, but the river was too fast, even for them."

_One of the people approaching him was swathed in bandages, an odd gauntlet on his right arm. Another was a boy with spiky black hair and a shirt that had 'Shi' repeated on it. The last was a girl, with long black hair that reached her waist._

_The spiky-haired youth rushed forward and kicked Naruto across the face, sending the blond to the ground in a daze._

"They followed the river to its' end, recovering Naruto's equipment as they went. They found that the Arrow ends at a high cliff, which leads to blinding mist. They also found signs of a scuffle."

_The bandaged one held his gauntlet over Naruto and tapped it rhythmically. "He's got two shards of stone lodged through his ribs, piercing his lungs. He'll choke on his own blood before we can take him anywhere. He's useless."_

_The girl protested weakly, "We can alert others, right? They can take him to Orochimaru-sama."_

_The leader shook his head. "No. It's not worth it. Zaku, get rid of this trash."_

_Zaku, the spiky-haired boy, stepped forward with sick grin. "Gladly." He thrust his arm out, revealing what appeared to be a tube implanted in his arm. "Eat this! Zankuyhaa!"_

Sarutobi tilted his hat down to hide his features further. "As of Two A.M., Naruto Uzumaki is pronounced M.I.A, possibly K.I.A. Search parties will be gathered tomorrow. Dismissed."

Samui, Yugito, Tenten, Ino, Sakura and Satsuki gasped in horror. Nejiko and Hanabi had already been told, and therefore wore stoic faces. Even Satsuriku bore a look of shock and concern.

They knew that they would be the first to search.

They didn't know that it would be six months before he was found.

…

_The air that blasted from the tube in Zaku's arm hit Naruto with the force of train, picking him up and hurling him over the side of the cliff, and down into the mists that hid everything underneath them._

_Naruto's last sight was the regretful brown eyes of the girl._

_And then, the mist drew over his vision._

_And after that, darkness._

…

**A/Fuckin'/N:**

**About damn time I uploaded! Good lord, I was four thousand words into it when my fuse took a vacation and only left a note that had a big 'Fuck You!' written on it.**

**Summary time.**

**Temari loves pillows, go figure. I've seen that every ninja has their kinks, Gai with his Youth, Kakashi with his porn, Anko with her dango, Ebisu with his douchebaggery, Naruto with his ramen and Hiruzen with his smoking, to name a few. Temari's kink is pillows.**

**Gaarin saw Naruto and Kurenai have sex. Her asking what it was is teasing on her part. I figured that every kunoichi and shinobi have at least basic knowledge of biology.**

**Naruto meets Meridia and her messenger, Telly. Telly is an OC, more like an excitable child than a messenger, really.**

**Draugr/Mummies. Easy to burn. Scary as hell. Shino is afraid of mummies/ zombies in general because logic dictates that the dead should not walk. It goes against her entire thought process.**

**Poison and jutsu don't really work on zombies unless they pierce/burn/tear wildly.**

**Dungeon crawling. Always fun.**

**You got to see Ember in action. Unsurprisingly, she's a pyromaniac and a flirt.**

**Saved the villagers. Bonus points.**

**Huge army of the dead, oh shit, stealth.**

**Learning the story behind Shukaku and the mummies, as well as Naruto geeking out over an Enchanter's Table.**

**The big-ass fight scene with a multi-limbed and scary as hell Shukaku.**

**Naruto shouts. Fuck yeah.**

**Gaarin is freed, and the Ichibi is pissed.**

**Naruto gets the Dawnbreaker and kills Shukaku.**

**He meets the Ichibi who promptly knocks him out.**

**Wakes up, meets the new and improved Gaarin, she confess, knocks him out and then cuddles him all night.**

**Oh shit, problems.**

**Naruto is pronounced MIA.**

**Cliffhanger.**

**Holy shit that was long.**

**If you want to know the shouts, look them up on the wikia. If you have questions, pm me, don't leave it as a review. That just wastes space for what could be constructive criticism.**

**I can't really promise when the next chapter will come, but be assured that it fuckin' will. I don't give up, unlike other authors who can't ignore the naysayers and trolls. It will be done, I have the next chapter entirely mapped out.**

**I made a chart.**

**But, I did the same for this chapter, so you never know.**

**Anywho, read, review, tell me what you liked and what you didn't, I appreciate it either way.**

**Don't ask about the pairing, or if you do, I a pm.**

**The next chapter will be called 'Naruto Alone.'**

**Here's a teaser:**

"'I will bear all of your burdens?'" Naruto read the carvings inside the ring. "What does that mean?"

Taking the chance, he slipped it on his right middle finger.

Instantly, he felt lighter than he had in years. "This is amazing!" He crowed, jumping up and down, enjoying how his body moved.

Something caught his eye on the ground, and he knelt to take a look. It was a spiral, carved into the ground. It was familiar to Naruto, because he wore it on his clothes, and it was worn by every ninja in his village. "What the-"

The ground crumbled below him, and he only saw darkness and heard the rush of air as he fell. "Again with this shit?!"

**Teaser over.**

**Stay Awesome!**

**~Soleneus**


	7. Naruto Alone

_He was laying pillows that could have only been made in heaven by the most angelic creatures. He was wrapped in warmth and softness and light, and was something he never wanted to leave._

_A presence hovered over him. He wished he could open his eyes and view whoever it was who was holding him so tenderly, and comfort her when he felt her tears land on his chest._

"_I wish I could do something," She murmured sadly, "But the Pact forbids any interference. This will be the last time I can see you, my love. You must get out. I can only watch you now. Until you leave, I cannot hold you in my arms again."_

_Silk brushed against his lips, joined by drops of hot water that sizzled on his skin._

"_My Champion…stay strong. You are never alone. You will never be alone. My light will guide you always."_

_Suddenly, he felt the heat and warmth and softness leaving him, only to feel cold and wet and hurt._

Naruto opened his eyes, grimacing in pain as his sore limbs protested his movements. He looked up, only seeing rolling white in the sky. There was no sun or moon, only endless fog. The forestry around him was a lush dark green that was so thick he could only see a few feet into the trees.

Wincing in pain, Naruto pushed himself out of the muddy impression he found himself in. Taking in the area around him, Naruto couldn't find any signs of life, only the creaking of the trees, the rustling of the bushes and chirping of the insects.

Delving into his mind, he was shocked to find he was blocked. _Alduin? Kyuubi? Ember?_

Nothing. For the first time in Naruto's life, there was no one.

He was alone.

…

**Chapter Six: Naruto Alone**

The first couple of hours after Naruto awoke, he searched for his scrolls which contained his equipment, such as field rations and weapons, but was appalled to find that all of his scrolls, his pouches and the emergency supplies had been torn off of his body by the current of the Arrow.

He then tried to heal himself, but found that he couldn't summon his Magicka up at all. The same result with his chakra. Both were still there, but he couldn't manipulate it in any form. This presented a problem.

It has been stated before that dragons, and their parts, are quiet weighty, even more so when compacted onto a human's frame. However, it has not been stated that Naruto, being transformed into a dragon, weighed quite a lot more than other humans. He had managed to find a fix of sorts for his situation, by leaking chakra into his muscles to strengthen them. Without chakra…it seemed as if he had tripled in weight, slowing him down by quite a bit.

Naruto tore the remainder of his shirt into strips and wrapped the wounds on his back, and then let his healing factor take care of it. While he did, he noticed the scales growing on his chest, wrapping around his larger ribs protectively like plate armor. He could also feel the itching of scale growth on the back of his neck, spreading to the front as well.

And then came the most important part: Food and shelter. With his scales and talons, a weapon was not high on Naruto's 'acquire' list.

However, his nature as a dragon interfered with that as well. Being the apex predator, dragons were feared instinctively by every creature, air and land, being able to fly and walk on the ground, and able to breath fire from both.

Every time he attempted to sneak up on a herd of deer, these with thinner coats due to the heat, they felt his presence and scattered in fear.

Every animal, even other predators, ran from Naruto. After six hours of fruitless hunting, Naruto's hunger and irritation finally got to him.

"Stop running _**AWAY!"**_ He Shouted in anger. To his surprise, a wave of incandescent energy burst from his lips, dispersing upon the foliage around him without being shaped by words from the Dragon language.

Naruto froze in shock, his mind halted by this new occurrence. "Holy shit!" He shouted, "My Voice still works!"

When his brain began to work again, he resisted the urge to slam his head against a tree, choosing instead to leap into the air and dance upon landing. "Yes! Thank you Akatosh!"

Without wasting anymore time, Naruto jogged through the trees, finding a herd of deer in mid-leap away from him.

Drawing on his Voice joyfully, he Shouted, _**"Kyne!"**_

The wave of green energy that left his lips removed the feeling of fear from the deer, and they went back to placidly grazing in the clearing.

Charging forward as fast as he could, Naruto clubbed two close deer over the head with his arms, crushing their skulls and killing them instantly. With these deaths, the other deer began to leap away. Naruto leapt and slammed into the side of one of the nearest bucks and tackled it to the ground, fastening his talons underneath the back of its skull and pulling forward, separating head from body.

Motivated by a roaring belly, he ripped the hide away without care, exposing the flesh underneath. He plunged his hand into the corpse and ripped the inedible intestines out, throwing them away carelessly.

His meal almost ready and Naruto not caring to stand on standard meal-time observations, cooked his food, dragon style: burn it with fire breath and then chow down.

The sound of rent flesh and talons tearing into meat echoed through the clearing as Naruto tore into the deer, eating ravenously, uncaring of the blood and juices that splattered his body.

After several minutes of eating, Naruto finally sat back, the beast in his stomach satisfied. All that was left of the deer was a pile of bones.

Back with all of his mental faculties, he began to strip the bodies of useful parts. Using his talons to skin the animals was a new experience, but he managed after a few small slip-ups.

He used the leather from the hides to make a bag that was lined with leaves and stones chilled in a nearby stream to act as somewhat like a fridge, the meat and edible organs packed tightly within. The rest was used to make rough leather armor that covered his unarmored parts, such as the upper parts of his arms, legs, hips, groin and chest, fastened together by leather strips he salvaged from the first deer's savaged corpse.

Next: Shelter.

…

Naruto spent the next six days searching for a way out of the forest he found himself in, but to no avail. On a hunch, he had scored the bark of a tree with his talons; after three days of running, he found himself at the same tree.

Whatever this place was, he couldn't escape. Not yet, anyway.

He'd managed to find places to rest, and with the discovery of his Voice, food was easier to get. But something nagged in the back of his mind, like he had forgotten something small but important.

He'd also found signs of other people being stuck in the forest with him, a broken shaft of an arrow, used fire-pits and stripped animal corpses, but had not been able to find anyone.

Naruto was washing his face in a stream, splashing the cold water on his visage to clean away some of the grime he's accumulated.

That feeling of something forgotten niggled in the back of his mind once more, but stronger than the previous times. It almost felt like it was pulling him upstream, like a child tugging on his sleeve and beckoning him to follow.

He gathered his pack and clothes and set off, following the stream to its' source. The feeling grew heavy in his mind, and he barely noticed the ground beginning to incline sharply, nor the uniform feeling of the ground beneath his feet.

Something loomed out of the fog ahead of him, and a trickle of trepidation ran down his spine.

The fog began to clear, and what Naruto saw made his jaw drop.

It was a building made of grey stone, comprised of thousands of blocks of stone that made steps that led to the top, where a square room with a single door sat.

Naruto looked at the building with a growing sense of excitement, bubbling up from within his chest. "This will take awhile…" he muttered.

As he took his first steps up the long staircase, his mind wandered. _Just what is it in here that is calling me? What is making me feel this way?_

He dismissed his thoughts and focused on walking up the steps.

Hours later, Naruto had finally made it to the top. He sat on the top step, panting and wiping the sweat of his exertions away. He took a long draught from a water skin he had made, inhaled deeply, then slung the water skin over his shoulder and stood.

The room at the top was small and square, the one door being the only source of light. There was a series of ridges that protruded out of the floor, but they had no pattern.

There was a small pillar of stone that sat in the middle of the small room, and on top of that rested a simple wooden chest.

Stepping over the ridges carefully, Naruto approached the box, very gently hooking a talon underneath the lid and lifting it open.

The inside was lined with red cloth, and in the center of the cloth sat a silver ring, inset with a blood-red ruby. The inside curve of the ring had series of small characters on the inside, and Naruto couldn't read them from his distance.

Carefully picking the ring up, he brought it to his face and examined the words inside of it.

"'I will bear all of your burdens?'" Naruto read the carvings inside the ring. "What does that mean?"

Taking the chance, he slipped it on his right middle finger.

Instantly, he felt lighter than he had in years. "This is amazing!" He crowed, jumping up and down, enjoying how his body moved.

Something caught his eye on the ground, and he knelt to take a look. The ridges on the ground did have a pattern. It was a looping spiral, and it was very familiar. It was familiar to Naruto, because he wore it on his clothes, and it was worn by every ninja in his village. "What the-"

The ground crumbled below him, and he only saw darkness and heard the rush of air as he fell. "Again with this shit?!"

…

Naruto groaned as he awoke. Taking a few seconds to gather his bearings, he found himself in a narrow hallway, the walls dripping water between the stones. Looking up, he could only see a tiny square of light. That must be where he'd fallen through the ground.

The walls were made up of rough stones placed together, but hundreds if not thousands of years of running water had made the walls smooth, and Naruto was wary of digging his talons into the eroded walls of an ancient temple. That was just asking for the temple to collapse on his head.

With no way back and no way upward, the only way to go was forward.

Forward, into the dark, dank bowels of an unknown temple seemed to have family connotations…

"When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?" Naruto muttered to himself.

His footsteps echoed around him as he walked. The darkness was so complete that he could barely see a foot in front of him. Using the wall as a guide, Naruto slowly made his way through the underground passage, occasionally tapping the wall to create echoes which he could use to get his bearings.

As he walked, a faint green glow began to light the passage, getting brighter as he went.

Eventually, he reached the end, and his eyes bulged in surprise.

It was large, roughly circular cavern with luminescent moss that bathed the area in soft green light. Sticking from the walls were platforms, uniform in size and shape, ascending the wall in a spiral pattern separated by lengths of stone. In the center of this cavern rose a thick stone pillar that reached to the uppermost platform, topped a platform of its' own. The base of the pillar stretched down, past his vision and into inky blackness.

Naruto grinned slightly and backed up until his feet were at the edge of the first platform. He bent slightly, tensing his legs…before he dashed forward, pushing himself off of the platform and onto the wall, using the talons on his feet and one of his hands to anchor himself to the wall as he ran across it. When Naruto reached the end of his momentum, he pushed off of the wall and landed on the next platform.

Naruto turned back to look at the distance he crossed with a wide smile. He shook his arms out happily. _Just like riding a bike…_ He thought to himself. He threw himself off of the platform and onto the wall, running along the surface with an ease he hadn't felt in a long time.

As he climbed the cavern one platform at a time, he couldn't help but let his mind drift back into memories, memories of days long since passed.

_(Flashback)_

"_**Naruto, I know chakra control is important. But chakra is a tool, not something you should rely on every fight."**__ Alduin said from within Naruto's mind._

"_But every shinobi uses chakra? Why don't I?" Naruto asked, confusion written on his face._

"_**You just said why. If every ninja uses chakra all the time, how would they deal with someone who doesn't need to use it for things they take for granted?"**__The dragon pointed out.__**"There are two major reasons for this kind of training. One, if you can do what a ninja can do without chakra, you can save your reserves for tenuous situations. Two, sensors won't be able to sense you if you don't use chakra to climb a tree or a wall, giving you the element of surprise."**_

"_Alright," the young blond conceded, "You've made your point. How do I start?"_

_Alduin coughed lightly.__**"Ahem. Before we can get on to the more complicated stuff, we must first teach you how to climb. I want you to scale that tree over there in thirty seconds."**_

_Naruto dashed at the nearest tree and jumped, latching onto the trunk and started to shimmy his way up to the top. It took longer than thirty seconds for him to reach the top._

"_**That's a good way to get up a tree, Naruto, but not the best way to get up quickly. Climb back down and face the trunk."**_

_The blond did so, eager to make his friend proud.__**"Now,"**__Alduin instructed,__**"Grab the trunk with your hands. Around the trunk, like that, yes. Now, when you use your feet, don't place them directly on the trunk like you're going to leap off, use the sides to make a pseudo-step and step up."**_

_Naruto tried and climbed up six feet far faster and easier than it had been previously. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "This is easy!"_

"_**I know, right? Now, I want you to practice climbing up and down the trees around the clearing until the motions feel natural, and then we'll get to work on being stealthy."**_

_For six hours, Naruto climbed tree after tree, until he could scale a twenty-meter tree in seconds. He sat on the top of the tallest tree in the clearing, looking out over the tops of the trees and admiring the view._

"_Wow…it's so pretty from up here…" Naruto said to himself. "I wish I could go higher."_

"_**Eventually you will, kid. Once your transformation is complete, you could fly to the tallest mountain and look at the world down below. It's one of my favorite things to do, just glide through the air far above the ground and take in the scenery underneath."**__Alduin commented wistfully._

"_Do you want to be free, Alduin?" The blond asked tentatively._

"_**Of course I do, Naruto. But I won't leave you, not until I've fulfilled whatever reason Arkay sealed me in here with that angry-ass fox. This seal is copying my powers into you, and I have a responsibility to make sure you use them responsibly. And it's not as if we're not friends. This is the most fun I've had in centuries. Before this, it was all just work-work-work, no play."**__The great dragon sighed.__**"As much fun as it is lighting things on fire, it eventually gets tedious, doing the same thing over and over again. This is a nice change of pace."**_

_They sat in silence, watching the sun set, before Naruto heard someone calling his name._

"_Naruto! Where did you go? Naruto!"_

'_Ah, that's Ten-chan.' Naruto thought. 'I'd better go see her before she starts ripping the trees out of the ground.'_

_The young blond started his descent, carefully measuring his reaches in the fading light. As he neared the ground, an old branch broke away just as he stepped on it._

_With yell of surprise, he plummeted seven feet to the ground, landing on top of something soft and pink._

_Opening the eyes he ad squeezed shut in preparation for pain, Naruto found himself nose-to-nose with his best friend and training partner, Tenten Higurashi. He had landed right on top of her, falling in such a way that could easily be misconstrued as something more intimate than it actually was, had someone walked into the clearing a that point._

"_Uh…hey, Ten-chan." Naruto greeted with a small smile._

_Her soft brown eyes stared up at him in surprise, before she reached up and pinched his nose. "Why didn't you tell me you were training, Naruto-kun?" She asked in irritation. "I would have joined you."_

_He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, well…I forgot?"_

_Tenten bopped him on the forehead lightly in chastisement. "Well, don't forget me next time, baka. Or is it because…" She widened her eyes as tears started to gather in the corners, her lower lip sticking out. "Naru-kun doesn't like me anymore?"_

_Naruto gave her a dry look. "You know that doesn't work on me, right?"_

_Now she pouted for real. "Damn. I forgot about that. But seriously, I'm always willing to train with you, Naruto-kun. You just have to ask."_

"_What about Academy?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you have to study?"_

_Tenten waved the question easily. "Pfft. Please. I could pass that crap in my sleep. Training with you is much more productive."_

_Naruto smiled down at her. "I like training with you too."_

_They fell silent, staring at each other and smiling at their admissions._

_Slowly, they both became aware of the fact that Naruto was still lying on top of her, as he had the entire conversation. Redness began to creep up their cheeks._

"_I, ah, should probably get off of you…" Naruto said sheepishly._

_To his surprise, her arms came up and wrapped around his back, holding him in place. "You don't have to," She murmured._

_His thoughts warred in his head, before he simply let it go and lay there with her. He heard her sigh in content as they snuggled._

"_I missed this." She said simply. "Remember, we used to do this every night at the orphanage?"_

"_I do." He said softly._

_Tenten shifted and wrapped her arms around his back, hugging him to her. "Why don't we do this anymore? Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder why, and it takes me a few seconds to realize it's because I'm not holding on to you."_

_Naruto sighed uncomfortably. "We live in different sections of town, Ten-chan. It's not that I don't miss this too, it's just that I don't think your dad would appreciate a guy sleeping with you."_

_A gruff, humored voice startled both of them, coming from the trees nearby. "I don't mind if it's you, actually."_

_Tenten and Naruto leapt apart, blushing furiously. "Tentechi-san!"_

_The large man smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know you're always welcome at my house, Naruto. However," He gave them a serious glare, "I was a teenager, once. If you mess around, make sure you're protected, understand?"_

_Naruto gaped in shock as Tenten shouted, "DAD!" in embarrassment._

_(Flashback Over)_

Naruto was yanked from his flashback when he landed on the last platform. Even if he had started out rough, his wall-running experience came rushing back. Muscle-memory is an awesome thing.

Standing proudly atop the pillar was another platform, a deep series of circles carved into it in the shape of a spiral.

He took a running jump and landed easily on platform, in the center of the spiral.

With a short lurch, the sound of stones grinding against each other rang throughout the cavern as the platform began to descend slowly, as did the platforms on the walls.

It came to a stop, nearly bucking Naruto off, as did the platforms. They surrounded him on all sides, a small circle on the front of them glowing a dark orange. Belatedly, he realized that they too, formed a spiral formation on the walls.

His skin prickled as the heat in the cavern rose, and the feeling of something bad descending on him was amplified by the sharp whistle that came from the circles.

Without warning, an orange spear flew at Naruto from the uppermost platform, barely missing his shoulder and impacting into the platform underneath his feet.

He tried to jump away from the deathtrap he found himself in, but his feet would not budge. Looking down, Naruto cursed at the spiral that was also glowing from underneath his talons.

More spears shot at him from the other platforms, not actually hitting him but wrapping his body in red-hot chains that ripped his clothes and sent his pack and water skin down into the inky blackness down below.

Eventually, the chains stopped being fired at him, leaving Naruto completely bound, not able to move a muscle.

In front of him, a pair of chains manifested out of thin air, one black and the other white. The black one wrapped about his body, squeezing him tightly. The white one wrapped around his neck, and he shivered involuntarily.

The white one didn't touch his skin, instead, it grabbed his soul.

And then it began to pull.

Agony ripped through his body as the white chain began to pull his soul out of his body.

Memories flashed through his head: lessons on fighting, magic and history with Alduin; forging a sword with Tenten; foraging for herbs with Tsume and Hana; practicing kenjutsu with Hayate and Yuugao; learning how to shoot fireballs with Mikoto and Suki; baking with Hinata; sparring with Nejiko; swimming with Hanabi; throwing sushi at Yugito; napping with Samui; slaughtering bandits with Satsuriku; cooking ramen Ayame and Teuchi…

All his precious memories, all of his experiences were being pulled away from him and eaten by this white chain.

_**No…NO! This…is…my…life! I will not…fall! Not to you!**_ Naruto screamed in effort, exerting all of his will, every ounce of energy to pull his soul back…

"_**I will not die!"**_

Like a thousand links snapping at once, a great shattering sounded throughout the cavern as every section broke into pieces and faded away, leaving the cavern glowing a soft green once more.

Naruto knelt on the platform, his hands on the ground as he panted. Something flowed underneath his skin, something that felt similar to chakra and Magicka but wasn't at the same time. He felt it writhing in his bones, begging to be let out.

Gently, he released a bit of the power out of his hands to see what it was, taking caution from his first experience trying to bring out a fire ball, where he got overzealous and it exploded in his face.

Slowly, very slowly, a sharp tip, similar to that of a spear poked out of the palm of his hand. Naruto knew that it could change any part of his skin, and there was no pain. Pushing some more, he was rewarded by the head being pushed out by chain links that were a dull grey.

Looking up, he spotted another glowing spiral, this one embedded in the wall, nowhere near any of the platforms. The inside spiral looked to be gouged out by a something sharp.

With no other choice, Naruto drew his arm back and thrust his palm forward, willing the power out.

With a sharp rattle, a spear-tipped length of chain shot across the distance from his palm and stabbed deep into the center of the spiral.

Something clicked, and with the rumble of ancient gears, a large slab of stone fell away, revealing a passage lit by green moss that hung from round beams that supported the sides of the passage.

Each beam had long tendrils of moss reaching down to the ground, but the exact middle was shorter than the rest, showing that it had started growing later.

Taking stock of his options, Naruto realized that he only had one: Swing.

He stepped off of the edge of the platform, falling a short distance before his momentum swung him in a wide arc. Reaching the apex, Naruto released the chain, letting his inertia carry him forward and landed on the next beam.

_Alright, that was awesome,_ he commented to himself with a grin. _Oh shit._ The beam under his feet began to creak ominously and splinter. Naruto threw himself off of the beam and shot a chain that wrapped around another, swinging himself down then up, where he released and repeated the process.

The more he did it, the easier and more natural it was for him to do so. A beam farther away then others was reached by Naruto releasing the chain earlier, leaving him enough momentum to latch onto the wall and run along it until he could shoot another chain and swing.

Naruto landed on a small outcropping of rock that stuck out from the wall and looked around. Above him was a beam that had been broken, but there was enough of it sticking out of the wall that he could get a chain around it. In front of him, there was a series of beams, these ones descending like steps to a shaft of light.

_Finally, a way out!_ Naruto thought gladly. Noticing something odd, he looked up, finding the broken beam, and then looked forward seeing the first of the series leading out, more at his height but farther away.

Deciding to be expedient, he shot his chain at the one farther away, but the links fell well short of the beam.

Glancing at the both beams, he ran over his options in his head. _Alright, I wouldn't be able to get enough momentum from swinging on the broken beam, but I can't reach the whole one. Perhaps…if I can pull the chains back, could I pull __**myself**__ forward?_

Naruto shot a chain at the broken beam, making sure it was secure, before he reversed the flow of power hard, trying to compensate for his weight.

That was a mistake.

With a short cry, Naruto was yanked off of his feet and pulled quickly through the air. He let the chain go and soared through the cavern, bypassing the beam he was shooting for and sailing over the next two.

Naruto quickly snagged the next, the fourth to the end in order and swung himself onto the third, and the second, and then first.

However, that's when something went wrong.

The beams were made of ancient wood, decayed by the wet conditions. Something had to give eventually. It just gave out on Naruto.

With wet crack, the beam shattered, dumping Naruto on the ground and sending him rolling on the floor.

Naruto pushed himself to his feet, freezing when ground began to rumble. Looking up, he spotted the pillars of rock that beam had been supporting tilt forward with a groan, crashing into each other. Ancient rock gave away and began to tilt backwards, smashing into the other, and then those falling back like dominoes.

The entire temple began to rumble as chunks of stone rained down from the ceiling. Naruto turned and sprinted down tunnel as it shook to pieces around him. He had to dodge out of the way of several stones that had very nearly fallen on him as he continued to run.

He ran down the tunnel, spotting green foliage within meters of his position. _Come on!_ He mentally shouted. He reached about two feet away from the exit, leaping forward to safety…

When the tunnel finally collapsed on top of him. Unconsciousness followed almost immediately.

The temple broke, falling into the caverns underneath it, destroying itself and the secrets beneath it forever, sending a plume of dust miles into the air.

Hours later, the soft padding of feet could be heard as two people, cloaked in dark brown leather and carrying bows, arrows and swords approached the still unconscious Naruto half-buried under rock.

"This is two in one day," One commented to the other, "Dartho will be pleased."

"Indeed," The other replied, "First we found that bitch, and now we find this guy with dragon armor. This must be our lucky day."

The two grabbed Naruto by the arms and pulled him out from underneath the rubble, grunting as they did.

"Damn, how heavy is this shit? If he didn't know where we could find more I'd just steal the armor and kill him."

…

Something struck Naruto across the face, rousing him from his unconsciousness and drawing a groan from the dazed dragon.

"Ah, he's awake. Good." A silky voice said from above him.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, blinking as the harsh light from a lantern shined in his face. When he recovered, he looked up to see someone, a tall male with his face covered by a cowl and hood peering down at him with a grin.

"Welcome back to the land of living," the man said sarcastically. "I'm surprised you're still alive, after having that temple fall on top of you."

Something shifted and clanked to Naruto's left, drawing his attention. It was a woman, that much being visible even with her cloak and cowl. She was sitting on the ground, with her back to a wooden pole, her arms stretched above her head and shackled.

It was then that Naruto realized that he was in the same position, with his arms tied above his head with chains.

The captor kicked Naruto in the side to get his attention. "You, pay attention! I want you to tell me how you got that armor. Now!"

The blond gave his captor a dry glare. "How about 'no'?"

The man's dark red eyes narrowed, before his face smoothed out. "Very well then. Torture it is."

He strode across the tent to a table that was covered in various vicious-looking implements along with a fire pit. "Now, what will make you talk?"

Naruto looked over to his fellow captive and met her ice blue eyes. He made a low 'shush' gesture and tilted his head up at the chains around his wrists. She looked up and watched as he wrapped his hand around a few of the links and crushed them, using his other hand to muffle the sound.

Naruto slowly pulled the chains away and dropped them in the grass as he got to his feet quietly. He snuck across the tent to the man who was talking quietly to himself about which implement he should use. Naruto stood behind the man and wrapped his left arm around his neck and his right across the man's mouth, pulling down to the ground while muffling his shouts.

Naruto jerked his arm up, dislocating the mans' neck, and twisted it sharply to the right with a small crack.

The man ceased struggling, dead. The dragon set the corpse down and moved to the tied woman.

"Sorry about that." He commented lightly. "I wanted to take care of that nuisance before freeing you. I'm Naruto, by the way."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him but nodded in recognition. "Mira."

Naruto froze and stared into her eyes, searching for something. "I feel like I know that name." He commented to her, breaking the links that held her down. "I don't really know how, but it sounds very familiar."

Mira took his outstretched hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I don't know why you would know my name, I've never met you before. You do look familiar to me as well."

They examined each other carefully and concluded that familiarity was a mystery to both of them. Naruto moved back to the corpse and pulled the hood down and cowl away, gasping in shock. "Holy…Dunmer! How the hell is there a Dunmer here?"

Mira came up next to him, strapping on her sword and her quiver of arrows on her back and stringing her bow. "What do you mean? Dunmer are common outside of these Grounds. You can find them everywhere in Tamriel."

Naruto's head twisted slowly on his neck until he faced her with a stunned visage. "Tamriel?" He whispered, "How do you know that name?"

The woman gave him a questioning look. "Tamriel is what the countries outside of the Grounds are called. You know, Skyrim, Elsweyr, Morrowind…any of these names familiar?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "The lands outside of the mists haven't been called Tamriel or any of those names in over five thousand years."

Shock dawned in Mira's eyes at that, and her whole posture screamed surprise. "What? How is that possible?"

"Mira." The blond spoke seriously. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm-"

She was cut off by the sound of a battle horn being blown, the whistling of arrows and the screams of those hit by them.

"Come on!" Mira yelled, "I'll tell you after we get to base, and we can figure this out together! Right now, we need to leave while the others distract the Hunters!"

She dashed out of the tent before he could ask any other questions. "I don't have any weapons!" he called after her fruitlessly. Cursing once more, he quickly looted the Dunmer's body, getting a steel dagger and three health potions.

He charged out of the tent and came across a camp full of other such tents, with combatants fighting outside with swords, axes and clubs and similar weapons. The only real difference between one side and the other was the color of the leather armor they wore.

One side, including the one that the Dunmer had belonged to wore brown armor decorated with splashes of poisonous red paint.

The other side, the one that Mira belonged to, wore dark brown splashed with light blue.

Naruto found Mira running through the camp, slashing at some of the enemies she passed to support her fellows but mostly avoiding everyone.

A large man with a heavy war axe stepped in front of her, growling angrily. "You're not going anywhere, bitch!"

Mira charged straight at him, sucking in a deep breath. _**"Fus!"**_ She Shouted, releasing a wave of energy that stumbled the large man and allowed her to time to pull her sword from it's sheath and slice his neck open.

Naruto gaped as he saw her use the Voice. _She is definitely explaining that!_ He thought, running after her.

As he passed, the blue cloaked combatants broke their fights and ran after him, shouting, "We've got them, retreat!" And followed him as he ran through the camp.

The ones in red gave chase, screaming angrily and cursing them as cowards. One dropped in front of Naruto and drew his bow, taking aim at the blond in the lead and firing an arrow at his face.

In a blink, Naruto caught the arrow by the shaft in front of his nose, then dropped it and hurled a chain at the archer from his palm. The bladed tip ripped through the archer's neck and out of the back as blood sprayed out of the wound. Naruto called the chain back, ignoring how it decapitated the corpse and jumping over it as it fell.

Outside of the camp's walls, a pair of archer's stood in the trees, firing arrows at the crowd of reds chasing the blues. One was a woman with messy red hair and bold yellow eyes that was offset by the slashes of blue war paint decorating her face. "Terris, start the distraction!"

The muscled man next to her nodded and moved to pull a rope when a trio of arrows buried themselves in his chest and threw him off of the branch, down to the ground where he landed with a sickening crack and did not get up again.

"Someone needs to distract the Hunters!" The red-haired woman called out, "Or we'll never lose them!"

As Naruto and the blues passed through the gate, the blond skid to a stop and turned, letting the other pass by him.

"What are you doing?!" Mira yelled at him, "Keep running!"

Naruto sucked in a deep breath and felt the Voice building in his throat, begging to be released. _**"YOL!"**_ He Shouted, shaping the Voice into a continuous torrent of flames that washed over the advancing Hunters and set them on fire, along with the surrounding tents.

The Hunters, now adequately distracted by their burning homes and flesh, were powerless to stop the blues from running off into the forest.

…

Several hours later, the Enslaved, as Naruto learned what the blue-cloaked people were called, had gotten back to their camp hidden in a wide cavern underground. Mira and the red-haired woman approached him warily, hands tense and near weapons.

"You have a lot to explain, Alduin." Mira spat.

Naruto narrowed his eyes on the woman as his eyes began to glow a sinister red. "My name is Naruto. And you have a lot to explain as well…_**Dovahkiin.**_"

…

(Konoha, Six Months later…)

Yugito Ni woke from her nightmare with a sharp gasp, panting as sweat trailed down her face.

The blonde jinchuriki stumbled out of her bed and to her bathroom, where she splashed cold water on her face. Yugito looked into the mirror above her sink tiredly, taking note of the bags under her eyes, the way her hair hung lank about her face and the stress that was evident in her whole posture.

It had all started after Naruto was declared MIA.

Normally, when a ninja of some renown went missing, the Hokage dispatched hunter-nin to track them down and retrieve them if possible, and if not, retrieve their bodies.

However, not only was Naruto the holder of a new bloodline, he was Konoha's jinchuriki. The Hokage had dispatched ANBU squads to search for Naruto, but had so far come up with no information.

As the weeks went on, this began to affect the village, and more specifically, the women that were important to Naruto.

Hinata cried for two days straight, clutching a orange fox plushy that Naruto had gotten for her at a carnival. After those days, she threw herself head-long into training, spending every waking moment training, sparring and honing her skills.

Shino had not openly reacted, preferring instead to train and create new colonies of insects in her body. On occasion, she could be found staring off into space, small tears trailing down her cheeks, mostly hidden by her glasses and jacket.

Nejiko dealt with it stoically, simply saying that she believed Naruto would come back and then leaving it at that. Her team did note that she was more aggressive and easily angered, but that was it.

Suki had her mother to support her, and while both suffered, they got through their grief together, knowing that the one they both loved would come back.

Yugito and Samui both had to deal with the guilt they felt from what they saw as the catalyst in pushing Naruto into leaving them behind for the mission to Suna, and therefore leading to him going missing. It was hard on both of them, but they pulled through with the resolve to apologize to the man that had a special place in their hearts.

Hanabi had dealt with much like Nejiko, throwing herself into training and learning advanced moves from her father.

Tenten had seemingly collapsed into herself like a singularity. The weapon kunoichi blamed herself more so than the others for what she perceived as her part in pushing Naruto away. She hadn't been jealous that Tsume had slept with Naruto, she kind of expected something along those lines to happen. She was, however jealous that the Inuzuka matriarch had taken his virginity. Tenten and Naruto had done almost all of their firsts together: they had forged their first weapon together, they'd gotten their first cuts together, learned how to use their first weapons together, gone to their first day of Academy together (he'd hidden under the desk), and even had their first heavy petting sessions together.

Tenten would've had Naruto's first kiss, but Ayame had stolen that before she even thought of boys (or, more specifically, just Naruto. There had never been 'other boys').

But, after all of their firsts shared, she thought they would definitely share their first sexual acts with each other. Instead, he had gone and given it away to Tsume.

After Tenten had heard that, she was overcome by her anger and jealousy. The Inuzuka hadn't even known Naruto as long as she had, and then she just went a stole his virginity away?

At first, Tenten had searched for Naruto all over the village, wanting to demand some answers. After she had found him and the subsequent yelling that followed, then her verbal beat-down by Nejiko, she had seriously considered just going out and finding a random guy and just getting it over with to get it out of the way. Several minutes later, she was disgusted with herself for thinking such things. Her first time was going to be special, with her special person. Even if Naruto didn't have his, that would just make it all the more special for him and her, as a sort of way to show how dedicated she was to winning his heart.

That didn't mean Tenten wouldn't let him sweat a bit.

That day, when Naruto walked into her store to get desert gear, she had given him the cold shoulder as a way to make him guilty. However, when she had looked into his eyes and saw just how sad and hurt he was, all she wanted to do was jump over that counter and hug him.

Instead, Mikoto Uchiha and Misa Haruno had come up to the counter and slapped their purchases down, giving both her and Samui a frigid glare.

Tenten couldn't imagine that the last time she would see Naruto would be his hurt expression when he thought she didn't like him anymore, because she wanted him to feel jealous.

It weighed down on her heavily during the last six months that Naruto had been missing, and she had shut herself in her room for a week, coming out to eat, bathe and train and that was it.

One day, Mikoto had burst into her room with a Sharingan glare in her eyes, pulled her out of her bed, sat her down in the forge and menaced the younger kunoichi with half-forged sword pulled out of the fire. Then, she explained to Tenten that a ninja's life is tenuous at best, and bad things happen, but not to give up hope. Afterwards, Tenten had cried as Mikoto held her, her resolve to be a better kunoichi and friend stronger than ever.

It wasn't only the friends in Naruto's life that had been affected by his disappearance. Almost all of Konoha felt like something was missing. It took sometime for them to realize that they missed seeing Naruto running around the village with his friends, making a ruckus and having a good time.

This day, the Hokage sent out a group of messengers to gather several people throughout Konoha and bring them to his office.

When Yugito and Samui arrived, they found several ninja waiting for them. Among that group were Tsume Inuzuka and her daughter Hana, Nejiko and her father Hizashi, Tenten, Kakashi Hatake and their sensei Yuugao, a shinobi who wore a face-guard and had a plain face, and the Hokage himself.

"Good, you're all here." Hiruzen said, smoking his pipe. "Now, I don't want you to get too excited, but we may have found a lead on how to find Naruto."

Many in the room jumped forward, ready to raise their voices, when a thick, stifling presence fell down on them and cut off their words.

"Thank you for not getting too excited," the Hokage said sarcastically, "As I said we have a lead, not a definitive trail. I have gathered you here to discuss which of you will make a team to follow this lead. Take note, I will only allow a team of four."

Kakashi immediately stepped forward with his hand raised. "I'd like to go," He commented plainly. "With my summons and my experience tracking people down I think I'd be the best suited."

Almost immediately, Hana had stepped forward as well. "I'd like to help tracking Naruto-kun down. With my triplets, we could cover more ground in less time."

The younger Inuzuka looked at her mother in surprise when she didn't step up. "Mom?"

Tsume shook her head ruefully. "I can't go, as much as I'd like to. I still have to deal with clan business here."

Nejiko and Yugito stepped forward at the same time as Yuugao did. They all looked at each other with a challenge in their eyes.

"I want to help," Yugito said first, "I can track Naruto's biju chakra with the Nibi."

Nejiko narrowed her eyes on the former Kumo kunoichi. "My Byakugan has the third longest range in my clan besides my father and his brother. I can track Naruto with my eyes."

Yuugao made her argument. "I'm Naruto's jonin sensei, and I know his actions very well."

Hiruzen rested his chin on his folded hands in thought. After a minute of deliberation, he looked up. "Very well. This is my final decision, and I will brook no insubordination. The team to follow this lead will be Kakashi, Yuugao, Hana and Nejiko. Gather your equipment, and leave within the hour. The details of your assignment are within this scroll. Good luck."

As they filed out, the Hokage tossed a small scroll to the silver haired jonin and tilted his head.

Outside of the Hokage tower, Samui and her sister along with Tenten gathered around the Hyuuga kunoichi with serious faces. "Good luck." Tenten said quietly. "Bring him back, please."

The blonde kunoichi nodded with her and added their own wishes, leaving and going about their day.

…

After four days of running, Team Inu had finally reached the place that the scroll and the lead had come from.

It was a small town, only a few houses and stores to speak of, and only around fifty people living there. The only big thing in the village was the trees on the northern end, and the entire place was covered in a light fog.

Team Inu met a man outside of the only general store in town, the one who had sent Konoha the scroll and the one who would hopefully lead them to Naruto.

He was tall and lanky, with brown hair and tanned skin, wearing a pair of worn pants and scuffed sandals. "Yo," He greeted them lazily with a small wave. "You're the ninja wanting to go into the Kiri no Mori, right? Lookin' for your friend?"

The team approached him as he straightened his posture. "That's right," Kakashi said, "Are you Takeshi?"

The man nodded once. "Yup, that's me. Me and my boys are heading in to the Kiri no Mori in about an hour to gather some ore, herbs and game. Various odds and ends, including people, end up in the Mori all the time, and while the people stuck in there can't leave, their stuff can. If there's anywhere your friend went, it's here."

The team exchanged glances and nodded. "Alright," Kakashi said resolutely, "We'll be coming into the forest with you."

Takeshi nodded in agreement. "Sure thing, more protection never hurt anyone. A couple of rules, though. First, do not enter the Kiri no Mori without one of these." He held up a simple leather cord strung with a thick ring of green and gray stone. "These rocks won't deter any predators or hunters in the Mori, but it will let you come back. Without one of these stones, you will be stuck in there, forever."

His words struck a worrisome chord in Konoha ninja. Naruto didn't have one of those stones when he fell into the forest. Did that mean he would be stuck there forever?

"Secondly," Takeshi continued, "The stones will let you keep the ability to use chakra. Without it, not only would you be stuck, you'd be powerless. And lastly, stick with the group. There's a bunch of people in the Kiri no Mori, and they love to hunt down people visiting, and they're fond of using bows to strike from a distance. That's about it."

He clapped his hands together and beckoned them to follow. Takeshi lead them to a small hut on the very edge of the forest, where a group of about three men sat around, sharpening long knives, all wearing a necklace similar to Takeshi's.

The leader of the small group handed out necklaces to the Konoha ninja and strapped on his own long knife. "Remember, don't lose those. You will never be able to leave."

With that, they gathered and entered the forest, becoming lost from sight in the swirling fog.

…

Three hours later, the group had not come across any game at all, but had been able to gather a few herbs and few chunks of ore that were stored in packs.

Takeshi walked slightly ahead of the group, his hand wrapped around the handle of his knife and his muscles tense. "This is odd," He whispered to ninja. "There's usually more than enough game around here. There are fresh tracks in the ground, so I know there are some around, but something scared them off. I hate to ask this, but can you ninja check in the trees around here? There might a panther or something."

The Konoha ninja, having been given hoods to hide their faces and the shiny metal headbands they wore, nodded in agreement and leapt into the trees.

Nejiko jumped from one branch to another, pausing to scan the area with her Byakugan. Finding nothing, she jumped away and continued looking.

She never saw the trunk of the tree she had just been on shift as red eyes opened. A cloaked figure wearing a strangely shaped hood crept along the branch slowly, until he was crouched right above Takeshi.

A short, sharp whistle made the man look up as the figure leaped from the branch, descending on the helpless forager before he could shout for help.

The sickening crunch and snap of bones breaking and the squish of organs being crushed sounded through the forest like gunshot, drawing the horrified attention of the others present in the clearing.

"Takeshi!" One of the foragers shouted in shock.

The figure bent and ripped the necklace from Takeshi's neck and took off into the forest. "Follow him!" Kakashi ordered.

The Konoha ninja leapt through the trees, chasing after the cloaked figure as it jumped over roots and dodged tree trunks at a pace not seen outside of a ninja.

The figure hopped atop a protruding root and used it to jump onto the trunk of a tree, where it agilely pushed off of there and onto a series of thick branches it used as steps to race across the tree tops. It jumped from one branch onto a another trunk, using it's hand to spin itself in another direction and take off from there, where it leaped from the branches, landing on the ground in a roll and then jumping up to continue running.

While they chased the figure, the ninja noticed the ground starting to shake, the cracking of trees echoing loudly as the rumbling drew closer.

The figure suddenly produced a chain from seemingly nowhere, wrapping it securely around the trunk of a thick tree before dashing across the small clearing, stretching the links across the way.

Trees parted before something the Konoha ninja had never seen before. It looked like someone took a small boulder, set it on top of a large boulder, then given it tree trunks for arms and legs and then animated it. The strangest thing about it was the fact that it had one big eye set in the center of its' ugly face, and another cloaked figure holding on to its' neck.

The Cyclops charged through the growth waving its' arms wildly as it tried to dislodge the figure on its' back. It never saw the chain stretched across its' path, right at ankle height.

The Cyclops tripped over the chain, crashing into the ground with a thunderous ruckus that shook the area.

The ninja watched in awe as the two cloaked figures jumped onto the beast's back and hack away at its' neck furiously. The Cyclops struggled and flailed, but those grew weaker until they eventually stopped altogether. With a final chop, the head hit the ground and rolled away slightly.

The two figures rolled the head so it was looking into the air, working together and pulling the eyeball out with a squelch that echoed through the clearing to the Konoha ninja. They stored the eyeball away and ran off together.

Yuugao turned to Nejiko with questioning look on her face. "Why didn't you warn us about that thing?" Her voice wasn't accusing, just questioning.

The Hyuuga kunoichi shook her head in disbelief. "I scanned the entire area, and nothing came up, no signs of life or anything. I've been using my Byakugan the entire time, and those two don't show up at all, they're like the environment moving around."

Kakashi narrowed his eye on the corpse of the Cyclops, thinking hard. "What the hell did they need the eye of that Cyclops for? And for that matter, why the hell is there a Cyclops?"

A low, cultured voice spoke from behind them, making the ninja whip around with weapons at the ready. "I see you've met the Enslavers on their ritual run."

He wore a hood and a cowl connected to brown leather armor that was splashed with red, and his dark red eyes peered at them from under his hood.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked cautiously, his White Light Chakra Saber drawn and ready for use.

"My name is Dartho. I'm the leader of a group of people who want to be free from this forest. Those others you saw are what we call the Enslavers, another group who keep us here. Every twenty years, they gather materials from those creatures and strengthen the curse that's kept us here for so long." The tall man said with sincerity and sorrow in his voice. "And every time, we are too late to stop them from cursing us again. If I were you, I'd leave and never look back."

"We're looking for someone." Yuugao stated with her katana in her hands. "A man, with blond hair, black face-paint and red eyes, he probably wearing black scales on his arms and legs."

Dartho tapped his chin in thought, before he snapped his fingers. "Aha! You mean Naruto, correct? We found him, unconscious in a river several months ago. We took him in and healed him, but the Enslavers broke into our camp and kidnapped him. I can only imagine what horrible things they must be doing to him."

The Konoha ninja traded glances before Kakashi spoke up. "Maybe we can work together. We need to find Naruto, and get him out. If those Enslavers are cursing you, it would be mutually beneficial for us to work together."

The cloaked man nodded enthusiastically. "My people and I have been searching for their camp for year without success. If you can find it, and a way to get in, use this to call for us. We need to destroy the ritual pieces or else we will be trapped within this forest for another twenty years." He handed them a tube made of wood with a leather cord dangling from the bottom. "Point the tube into the air and pull the cord. It will signal for us to come find you. Thank you for this. If we succeed, we will be in your debt for life."

…

About two hours later, Nejiko waved the others over to her position. "While I can't seem to find their chakra, I can still see their movements. There's a woman in a blue cloak about sixty meters away, moving at a good pace to the north."

"Good adapting with the situation, Nejiko. Let's go." Kakashi ordered.

The Konoha ninja leapt through the trees quickly, following Nejiko's directions and eventually finding the woman running through the space between trees. They followed her stealthily, keeping to the boughs above her and at a distance.

She eventually came to a stop in front of cave made of tan rock that seemed to have only about three feet of space inside. The ninja moved forward as she went inside. To their surprise, the inside was much bigger than it appeared. The cloaked woman ran along one of the walls inside, leaping off to latch onto an adjacent groove in the wall. She shimmied along it, then pushed away and jumped onto a stalactite, which she shuffled around it, and then jumped onto a pathway that lead her out of their sight.

Kakashi nodded at Yuugao, who pulled the tube out of her pouch, pointed it up and yanked on the cord.

With a light pop, a ball of red sparks flew into the air and burst into a red mini-sun that hung over their heads. Within twenty minutes, over a hundred men and women in red cloaks showed up, dressed for war with bows, arrows and an assortment of weapons like swords, axes and hammers, as well as the weapons' larger, War-variety two-handed versions.

Dartho stood near the front with his hand on his sword. "We will be victorious tonight my brothers and sisters!" He shouted with a fist in the air.

The crowd of Hunters cheered as he turned to the Konoha ninja. "Lead on, my friends! This ends tonight!"

Kakashi wall-walked across the chasm and found a small lever that lowered a bridge that was painted the same shade as the walls, which allowed the Hunters and his comrades across the bridge.

They snuck through the caves, meeting two sentries who were taken down quickly, not having any experience fighting against the speedy ninja.

The cave they were in widened out into a large cavern, with many tents set up around campfires.

As the Hunters checked over their equipment, Nejiko tapped Yuugao on the arm. "I'm looking over the camp here, and I don't see any evidence of these people being violent cultists/slavers. In fact, they look perfectly peaceful right now."

The jonin shrugged. "Appearances hide a lot of things, Nejiko. You never really know how someone is, even if you've known them for years."

The Hyuuga kunoichi nodded, but internally, her mind raced. _Something about this doesn't seem right. So far, nothing that Dartho character has said seems to be true._

The leader of the Hunters drew his bow and nocked an arrow to the string. "On my mark," He whispered, "Three, two…one! For Hircine!"

The Hunters loosed a volley of arrows that sailed through the cavern and landed amongst the tents, gaining screams from the inhabitants. They holstered their bows and drew their weapons, charging into the camp with war-cries and screams of blood-lust.

The Konoha ninja moved in with them, taking down the Enslavers with kunai and shuriken. Yuugao moved amongst the blue-cloaked people and cut them down with swift strikes of her katana, while Hana used her three nin-ken to tear through the opposition.

Dartho pointed at the largest tent in the back of the camp. "That's where they'll be keeping the items for the ritual!"

The Konoha ninja ran through the melee, dodging strikes from the Enslavers and occasionally striking back. They made it to the largest tent and ripped through the flap, coming face-to-face with two women and the man with the strangely-shaped hood.

Yuugao moved forward with Hana and engaged the woman with blonde hair and blue eyes as Dartho and Kakashi attacked the woman with red hair and blue face-paint.

Nejiko jumped forward, striking at the man in a flurry of Jyuken strikes meant to kill. The man dodged away from her, batting her fists and pokes away with his armored hands and forearms.

She charged at the man to close the distance, thrusting her left fist forward with a large amount of chakra built up in it, ready to be released.

Surprise showed on her face as the man caught it in his palm without any ill effects. She struck with her right hand, and was just as shocked when he caught that one as well.

Nejiko couldn't react quick enough to avoid the kick he sent to her chest. She flew through the air, slamming into the cave wall. Chains wrapped around her, binding her arms to wall and restraining her completely. She looked up, just in time to see his fist headed to her face…and then darkness.

The man turned away from the unconscious kunoichi, just in time to see the blonde woman take Kakashi's Chakra saber to her gut, blood spraying out of her back and dripping from her mouth. "Mira! No!"

Kakashi and Dartho moved away from Mira as she hit the ground, clutching her stomach in agony as blood flowed over her fingers.

The red-haired woman saw those two moving towards the stone bowl where several different odds and ends sat, including the large eyeball of the Cyclops. "No!"

She dived in front of the container as the shinobi and the Dunmer unleashed a hail of throwing knives and kunai, taking them to her body in place of the ingredients.

"Aela!" The man shouted in horror as she hit the ground, weapons protruding from her body. "Dartho! You son of bitch!"

Suddenly, man Shouted, shaking the cave. _**"TIID!"**_

He blurred out of visible sight, even for the jonin, and threw them apart. The man kicked Dartho in the face, cracking him against the wall and dazing him. He spun and ducked under a collaboration swipe from Kakashi and Yuugao, catching their backswing on his armored forearms. Hana dashed at his unprotected back, her nin-ken jumping forward with claws and fangs bared. Something lashed out from underneath his cloak, slamming into the Inuzuka kunoichi's stomach and then batting away her dogs.

He pushed Kakashi's arm up, pivoting and slamming an open palm into Yuugao's sternum, throwing her across the tent and into the cave wall near Nejiko. He grabbed Kakashi's wrist and twisted the saber out of his hands and kicked it across the room, while throwing his head forward and viciously s head-butting the shinobi in the face. Taking advantage of his dazed state, the man kneed Kakashi in the stomach and slammed an elbow into the back of his head, knocking the Konoha shinobi out.

The man dashed across the ground and shoulder-checked Hana into the wall, knocking the breath from her lungs and throwing her into the realm of unconsciousness. He turned towards her nin-ken and roared, a sound of pure anger, rage and despair that made their canine minds shut down out of fear.

He turned as someone crawled through the flap of the tent, trailing blood behind him that came from his amputate legs. "Dragon! They've killed everyone! You must protect the ingredients at all costs! Collapse the roof!"

With his last message delivered, the man collapsed and died.

Dragon walked out of his tent, watching in anger as his people were slaughtered by the Hunters. "I'm sorry…" He whispered as a tear trailed down his face.

He threw his hands up to the roof of the cavern, a multitude of chains shooting from his arms and impaling the top. Dragon pulled his arms down, retracting his chains.

The cavern roof rumbled as its' most important supports were suddenly taken out all at once. With a crash that could be heard throughout the entire forest, the cave came down, crushing everyone underneath.

Inside the tent, Dragon closed his eyes and breathed deeply, listening to the sounds of his former home crashing to the ground. The tent was protected by an overhang of rock, and the cave-in only sealed off the front, with the back exit completely clear.

Dragon turned around at the sound of shuffling, seeing Dartho struggling to crawl to the bowl. With a low growl that promised murder, he stepped forward.

…

Kakashi awoke to the sound of flesh meeting what sounded like rock. His one visible eye was almost swollen shut, but he could see as Dartho was viciously beaten down by the other cloaked man. The jonin attempted to come to the man's assistance, but found that he could not move, due to the chains that held his arms up. Kakashi couldn't even move his feet, as he was suspended in the air by another chain that looped under his hands and into the ceiling.

The groan of the others waking up was also heard by Dragon. He grabbed Dartho by the neck and pulled the Hunter's head back, exposing his neck. Dragon dug the talons of his gauntlets into the exposed flesh and yanked back. With one pull, he ripped Dartho's head off and hurled it across the tent.

Dragon pointed at the bound ninja with a fore-finger. "You have no idea what you bastards almost cost me."

He moved across the ground to Mira's side, feeling her neck with two fingers. He bowed his head and closed her eyes gently, shifting her body so that she was lying on her back in a peaceful position.

A pained grunt came from near the bowl, and Dragon ran to the red-haired woman, cradling her in his arms. "Protect…the items…at all…costs…meet me…at the shrine…"

Those were her last words, as the light faded from her eyes and she slumped in Dragon's arms. The man closed her eyes and set her down, his back to the Konoha ninja.

They could see his shoulders shake in fury as he rounded on them, his red eyes blazing with anger. "You evil bastards! I should torture you for what you've almost done! You want to keep us here, fighting forever!"

"You lie!" Kakashi shouted weakly. "We don't want to do any such thing! We want to know where Naruto is!"

Dragon jerked back in surprise. "Is this a fucking joke? You're lucky the cycle restarts in three hours or I would poison you and watch you die slowly!"

"Tell us where Naruto is!" Yuugao yelled, "We won't fight you if you just let him go!"

"Let him go?" Dragon repeated incredulously. "Let him go?! What the fuck to think I'm trying to do?! Who the hell are you people?" He moved forward, ripping the hoods from their heads and freezing in shock. "What?"

Hana narrowed her eyes on him suspiciously. "What do you mean, you're trying to free Naruto? Dartho told us you are the one who kidnapped him! That you're trying to lay a curse that would them all here forever!"

Dragon shook his head vehemently. "Dartho lied to you! We're the ones trying to get our freedom! We've gathered all of these items to summon the Daedric Lord of this realm so he can free us! If you had destroyed any one of those ingredients, we would be stuck here for twenty years until they all respawned again!"

He ripped his hood back, showing his face for the first time.

The Konoha ninja recoiled in shock. "N-Naruto?" Nejiko asked hesitantly. She could recognize his face clear as day, but her hesitance stemmed from one fact.

He had _fucking horns._

…

**A/N: Well. This is the fastest I've ever written a 10,000 words chapter. Don't take this as the norm, it probably won't happen again, even if it would be awesome.**

**Any how, I hope the part with the girls' reactions was realistic. I was trying to show that they took a tragedy and grew stronger from it, but I'm not exactly sure I got that across. The female mind is an unknown place to me, and I don't think I can write it out very well.**

**A quick warning for the next chapter: There will be an info dump. That is unavoidable. What I ask is that everyone with questions pertaining to this chapter waits until the next to ask them, because they might just be answered then.**

**No preview this time, but I hoped you enjoyed the story. Any comments, as long as they are constructive, are welcomed.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward eagerly to your reviews on this one and the next!**

**Stay Awesome!**

**~Soleneus **


	8. The Hunt for Freedom

Every Aedra and Daedra had a place, a realm of Oblivion, where they could go to relax, unwind and watch over their subjects.

Mehrunes had the Torture Fields, where the only people able relax and unwind being the ones not a guest at the Grand Hotel of Torture, Maiming and Terror, overlooking the beautiful oceans of lava that could consume an elephant in seconds.

Meridia had the Sunholme and the glades around it, where only the purest of souls went to stay forever.

Akatosh had the Timeless Isle, the island he had created that rode the currents of time, dominated by the mountains that pierced the cloudless skies, the perfect place for his children to fly and roost.

Dibella had the Temple of Beauty, which many mistook to be a brothel of some sort for the Aedra to sate her lusts. They would be mistaken. Her temple was a place where only the most beautiful people, in body and soul, and the arts lived and loved and made their craft. Oddly enough, more than a few years ago, all of the men that had lived in the Temple had vanished, though the art they made still remained.

Even Sheogorath, crazy bastard that he was, had the Shivering Isles where he ruled (?) the land of Mania and Dementia and the Insane Inhabitants that called it home. And occasionally, he threw cheese parties. Most would assume there would be wine to go along, but nope, just cheese.

Hircine, the Huntsman of Princes and the Father of the Man-beasts, had a plane called the Hunting Grounds, or, to his worshippers, The Eternal Hunting Grounds of Hircine. His Hunting Grounds existed to change at his whim, but at the present time, they were configured to a thick forest, where his worshippers could hunt to their hearts' content.

Though, not everyone wanted to hunt or be hunted for eternity. Being the fair Daedra that he was, Hircine gave the ones who wished to be free a task: Gather the specific parts from rare beasts, and bring them before his shrine, and he would set them free.

However, if any of the parts were damaged, the others would be rendered useless, and they would have to stay for another twenty years until the beasts would roam the Grounds once more

**Chapter 7: The Hunt for Freedom**

He had changed since the time when she last saw him, Yuugao noted. Given that six months had gone by since then, it was to be expected, but not to this degree.

Naruto was now just less than six feet in height, though the horns on his head put him well above that. The scales that decorated his limbs and his torso had thickened, going from small sections of multiple scales into plates that carried spikes that were curved upward like small blades. His feet had changed shape as well. Instead of resembling a human foot with taloned armor, they had changed shape completely. The big toe and the smallest had migrated to the back of his foot, leaving only three in the front, which had increased in size, with muscles that were easily discernable through the scales decorating them. His knees had seemingly bent backwards like a beasts' or a great bird's.

And then there was the extra limb. A tail, to be exact. But this was not a fluffy cat's tail or a bushy dog's tail; it was a dragon's tail. Thick, almost four feet long, a solid limb of bone and muscle that was covered in black, flexible plates, with the tip being similar to the head of mace covered in spikes.

One of the more shocking developments was the horns that swept back from the sides of his head and then extended up and out to razor sharp points.

With the scales that had taken the place of human skin and the hellish orange-red eyes that bore a small slit pupil, Yuugao could easily imagine someone with lesser knowledge calling Naruto a Devil.

"Naruto?" She asked slowly.

Naruto scowled at them, his visage making the expression terrifying. "Yes it's me. Who else has black scales?" He retorted sarcastically. "What the hell are you guys even doing here? And why were you helping the Hunters?"

Kakashi kicked a foot at the headless corpse of Dartho and smiled sheepishly. "Well, that guy over there told us that you and those other guys wearing blue were gathering items to use in a ritual that would keep all of them trapped in the Kiri no Mori. We just followed one of you here and led them inside."

Naruto pointed a clawed finger at Kakashi with angrily bared teeth. "And you believed him? What the fuck for?"

The silver-haired jonin shrugged as well as he could hanging from chains. "He was the only person we met who didn't crush one of our guides. There was no one else."

The blond shook his head ruefully. "You guys are so lucky the next Cycle starts in three hours, or I would be pissed that you killed Aela and Mira. As it is, you're even luckier that Aela dived in front of the bowl or you would be stuck here with me for the next twenty years. If you're really fortunate, Aela and Mira won't kick your asses when they come back."

The two jonin traded confused glances. "Uh, Naruto…I'm really sorry, but I hate to say that they won't come back. They're dead." Yuugao pointed out.

Naruto gave a questioning look, before realization crossed his face. "Oh, that's right, you don't know everything yet." He gathered the items and stored them safely away in a hard leather pack, which slung over his shoulders. With a snap of his fingers, the chains binding the Konoha ninja dissolved into nothingness.

Nejiko hit the ground and started towards Naruto with her arms open for hug, but the blond held stopped her with a raised hand. "You might not want to do that," He said uneasily. "I've been having…problems." He admitted, "With my strength. I can't really control it. Also, I'm spiky as fuck."

He sighed and shook his head. "Come on, I'll take you to the Blue Shrine and explain on the way." Naruto said, pushing aside the back of the tent and revealing a tunnel.

"Wait! We can just leave, Naruto. We have stones that negate whatever this Forest does to trap people here." Kakashi said, holding the necklace with the green and gray stone on it.

Naruto shook his head. "Those won't work anymore. You spilled the blood of prey. You're a part of the Hunt now. There is no leaving, not without these ingredients. Follow me, there's a lot you need to know."

The Konoha ninja followed Naruto as he led them through the tunnel and out into the forest. As they marched, he began to explain the situation.

"This forest isn't a forest at all, it's a plane of Oblivion, where the Daedra reside. More specifically, this is Hircine's Hunting Grounds. Hircine is the Daedric Lord of the Hunt and the Father of Man-beasts, the Ultimate Hunter. It changes every so often, but there is always one constant: the Hunters, and the Hunted." Naruto said darkly, his eyes glowing sinisterly in the dim light. "The Hunters are zealots to Hircine, and only desire to hunt forever, no matter the prey. The Hunted are ones who worshipped Hircine in life, and even enjoyed hunting others afterwards, but desire to leave the Hunting Grounds and live again. Hircine gave the Hunted a chance to escape, by completing one task he had set out for them: Gather specific pieces from the rare animals that come into existence every twenty years and then bring them to the shrine in the center of the forest. The ingredients are: the left fang of a timber wolf, the right hoof of a minotaur, the back foreleg of a black stallion, the eye of a Cyclops, the horn of a unicorn, and the antlers of the White Stag. If any of these pieces are destroyed, the others are useless."

Nejiko spoke up from behind the dragon. "That doesn't explain how those two women aren't dead even when they are actually dead."

Naruto peered over his shoulder at the Hyuuga. "If every hunter died, there wouldn't be anyone left to hunt. This is Hircine's plane, his realm of control. Everything happens here on his whim. So, Hircine set up something called 'The Cycle'. Every week, at five o'clock, everyone who has died during the week is resurrected at their shrine. In this way, the Hunt never ends. They hunt and kill until they die, and then they get back up and do it again."

Hana had a somewhat excited look on her face and her nin-ken had their tails wagging, though that died after Naruto spoke again. "Hircine is Daedra, and good few will twist any deal you make with them to their advantage, However, Hircine is fair, very fair. So fair, in fact, that almost everyone is on an equal level. No one can use chakra, nor magic, and none of them can use the gift of Man-Beast-Transformation. They only have their weapons, skills and that's it."

Kakashi paused for second in deep thought, before he began to follow again. "Is that why Nejiko couldn't see you with her Byakugan? We're still wearing the stones, though."

"The stones allow you to keep using chakra as long as it's inside of your body. So, while you can tree walk and enhance your muscles, actually trying a jutsu would result in absolutely nothing." Naruto explained. He pushed a few vines aside and made a noise of success. "Ah! Here we are. I'd say we have about an hour and a half before the others are resurrected. While we wait, we need to strategize. I have the fang, the hoof, the foreleg and the eye. The last things we need are the horn of the unicorn and the antlers of the White Stag. Aela and I already know where the Stag will be, and Mira had been searching for the unicorn when you guys burst into our camp and murdered the shit out of bunch of innocent people."

At that, he gave them a blank glare that made them shiver. "So, Naruto-kun, what have you been doing?" Nejiko asked. "We've really missed you these past months."

Naruto smiled at them softly as sat on a fallen log. "Well, that's quite a story…"

Over the next hour or so, Naruto told them about what had happened to him in the temple and afterwards.

Suddenly, a bright light shined down through the canopy, illuminating a stone statue of fit man wearing a loin cloth, leaning a spear on his shoulder standing next to a wolf. They couldn't see the face, as it was covered by a stag's skull with antlers standing out of the top.

The light shone down on the clearing in front of the statue, becoming more luminous until it was blinding, making the group close their eyes.

When the light died and they had blinked the dots out of their vision, the Konoha ninja were surprised to see a group of people standing in the clearing where there had been no one before. There were two tables, with blue-painted leather armor on one and bows and quivers of arrows and blades on the other. This group moved over to the tables and dressed quickly before gathering their weapons.

Two women, one with blonde hair and icy blue eyes and the other with fiery red hair and fierce yellow eyes offset by the blue face paint, approached them with angry strides. "What are they doing here, Naruto? They nearly cost us our freedom!" The red-haired woman growled angrily.

Naruto held his hands in a placating fashion, trying to avoid a fight breaking out. "I know, Aela, just calm down and let me explain. Are you going to?"

Aela narrowed her eyes on the Konoha ninja and gritted her teeth. "Fine. But you better explain fast."

The dragon-man pointed at the ninja. "They didn't know anything, and the first person they met coming in was Dartho. He misled them into thinking we are the ones trying to keep us trapped here. You know what that damn Dunmer is like."

The Huntress nodded ruefully. "I do know what his silver tongue can do. Alright, I won't kill them, as long as they make up for their mistake by helping us find the last pieces." She suddenly reached forward, grasped the back of his head and yanked him forward, smashing her lips onto his. The Konoha ninja watched in slight surprise as the two orally battled as Mira smirked slightly.

Aela pushed Naruto back and poked his chest with a finger, glaring up into his eyes. "You owe me for this, got that?"

Naruto nodded. "How does a hunting trip, fresh Dragon-Fired steak and Blackbriar mead sound?" The two leather-clad women made sounds of shock. "I thought you'd react like that. Turns out, Alduin had quite the taste for the stuff, so much that he stole the recipe and memorized it. I have a couple casks of it aging in my basement."

Kakashi noted that Hana, Nejiko and Yuugao didn't react much to the name 'Alduin', but he had no actual idea on who that was. "Can someone explain to me who Alduin is? Because I'm completely clueless over here."

Naruto scratched the base of one of his horns sheepishly. "Ah, that's a funny story…"

_(Flashback)_

"_If the countries outside of the Ground haven't been called 'Tamriel' in such a long time, how do you know what I am? And, if you aren't Alduin, how in Talos's name do you know Dragon Tongue?" Mira demanded, her hand tight around the hilt of her sword._

_Naruto growled at the Dragonborn, his voice rough. "It's a long story, and I won't tell it to you if you don't take you hand away from your sword. I will not be menaced by you, Dovakiin."_

_The blond man sat down on a log around the fire, staring into Mira's eyes challengingly. Aela grabbed the Dragonborn by her shoulders and shoved her onto seat across from Naruto and sat next her, her full attention on the dragon._

"_I know you brokered a peace between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, and afterwards you went to Sovengarde and defeated Alduin, returning afterwards to resume your duties as Harbinger of the Companions, but what I don't know is how you died. Tell me how." Naruto said seriously._

_Mira grunted shortly. "Six years after I defeated Alduin, tensions were growing between the Empire and the Aldemeri Dominion. I had just returned from Solstheim after killing Miraak, the so-called 'First Dragonborn', and I was very weary. Most of our comrades within the Companions had freed themselves from being a werewolf, and there were only four or so people within the Hall that night. An assassin, I assume from the Dark Brotherhood, snuck into my quarters and slit my throat. I would have fought back, but the assassin had poisoned me with a paralytic potion, and I was helpless. I woke up here, with Aela and Tessir next to me, and found out from them that the assassin had poisoned and killed every Companion within."_

_Naruto nodded, his hand on his chin in thought. "I see. So, about two years after you died, the Empire and the Dominion went to war again. It lasted about two hundred years. A man gained an audience with Mehrunes Dagon and begged him to end the war. Mehrunes gave the man his help and did so his way. He told the man to cast a spell at the top of the Empire's tallest tower and help would come. What he didn't say was what kind of help it was. The spell the man cast summoned Mehrunes' right-hand woman, who took the form of a giant demon with ten tails. The spell summoned her through the largest moon, which was shattered and then scattered across the planet, and she landed right on top of the man. The impact was so great that it shattered the continent."_

_Both women looked aghast at the thought something terrifyingly powerful that it's arrival made the world break._

"_For about four thousand years, she rampaged across the planet, shaping the world into the way it is today. During this time, every race had to band together to survive. In a way, the man succeeded in ending the war. Every race interbred with each other, becoming the humans that are here in this age. Before the turn of the fifth millennia of her rampage, a man, who was born so close to the Ten-Tailed creature that he was able to absorb and use her power, fought her one-on-one and defeated her, splitting her power from her body and imprisoning inside the smaller moon and sealing the power within himself. Before he died, he split the power into nine sections, each piece with a certain number of tails to signify their strength, from one to nine."_

_The blond dragon leaned back on his seat and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "My story starts thirteen years ago, on the day of my birth. The strongest of the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tailed Fox, was released from her previous carrier in the middle of my village, Konoha. My father called on Arkay, called 'The Shinigami' now, to seal her away within myself. For some strange reason, Arkay also sealed Alduin's soul in me as well. I've grown up being taught by Alduin how to fight with various weapons, along with how to make such weapons, potions, spells and enchantments. Because of the nature of the seal, Alduin's very being is being copied onto me. His power and his knowledge as well. So, while I look very much like him, I am not Alduin. I am, however, the closest thing to son he's had, and I view him much the same as I would a father."_

_Mira narrowed her eyes on Naruto and asked, "How can you view him as a father? All of my interactions with him lead me to believe that he was an arrogant, over-confident ass of a Dragon that did nothing but destroy lives and homes as a hobby."_

_Naruto chuckled lightly. "You're not actually far off." He admitted. "It's not a hobby, though, it's his job. His job, as the Son of Akatosh, is to test and eventually destroy civilizations and then let them grow anew. And of course he was angry, the three heroes who banished him from time basically cheated. When Alduin came down, he would offer the empire of the time a choice, band together and get over their prejudices, or he would burn their world down until they were no longer remembered. If they banded together and defeated him, he would leave them alone for ten thousand years, then come back and start again. The three heroes didn't even fight him, they just pulled him to the ground and cast him into time, so you can imagine he was just a little bit pissed when he came back."_

_The look of realization on the two women's faces nearly made Naruto double over in mirth. "How old is Alduin exactly?" Aela asked._

_The meaning behind her question was not lost on Naruto or Mira. "Alduin is Timeless. He has no age. He always has existed in some form or another. Just like Akatosh is the Aspect of Time, Alduin is the Aspect of Death, Destruction and then Rebirth. Though, with his powers being copied onto me, there will be two of us, and we don't know what will happen then."_

_They all sat back from the fire, thinking. "I do know one thing though," Naruto said, "I want to get the hell out of this place, and I'll help any way I can."_

_Aela leaned forward, the firelight flickering in her yellow eyes. "Then there is a lot you need to know…"_

_(Flashback/Info-Dump Over)_

"So…" Kakashi trailed off, uncertain. "Alduin is the dragon sealed in your stomach along with the Kyuubi, which you have father-son relationship and is your mate respectively."

Naruto nodded. "Yup."

"Alright," The silver-haired jonin admitted, "That's pretty weird. Is that why you spoke that weird language when you were a child?"

The dragon nodded again. "Yeah. Alduin can speak in human tongue, but it's really old and isn't in use around the world anymore, so we mainly conversed in Dragon Tongue. Tenten taught me how to read and write in the Nihongo later on."

Naruto reached into his pack and unrolled a scroll made from bark that had various lines and characters drawn on it in charcoal. "By the schedule, we have about a day before the unicorn appears, followed by two more days before the White Stag does. During this time, we need the items to be protected at all times from the Hunters. The best way to do that is to be mobile. Aela, you know where the unicorn will appear?"

The red-haired Huntress nodded. "I do. The unicorn will first be spotted in the Maple Glade, about three miles northwest of here. It'll be one of the easiest to track, as it leaves a trail of growing white lilies with each step. However, that means it will as be easy for the Hunters to track as well."

One of the Enslaved approached the group, the axe on his belt coated in soot to hide the shine. "Aela, I'll take the rest of us to find a safe place to establish camp, now that our previous one was compromised." He shot the ninja a dirty look.

"You do that, Tessir." Aela said nonchalantly, waving the man off. As Tessir strode away to the rest, the Huntress muttered to others, annoyance clear in her tone. "How do they expect to get free of this place without actually helping us? I know we lead the Companions, but we can't do this alone."

Mira stood and swung her bow over her shoulder and across her back. "I still need to find where the White Stag comes from, and I'd rather not be alone in here. How about you, white eyes? Naruto told me you can see long distances, and that will be helpful."

Nejiko nodded and joined the Dragonborn as they made their way through the thickly-wooded forest.

"That means you guys are with me." Aela pointed at Kakashi, Yuugao, Hana and Naruto. "Let's get there."

The ninja jumped into the trees as Naruto and Aela wove through the trunks, hoods covering their hair. The dragon pushed off a protruding root and into the boughs, followed by the Huntress who stayed a few feet behind him.

While the Konoha ninja had chakra-empowered muscles that could push them over large gaps, Aela would latch onto Naruto's back as he swung on a chain.

It was awe-inspiring, watching the two of them run through the forest. They mantled over obstructions with ease, sliding through the thick trunks and across the branches with a natural, almost feline grace that could be seen in a panther.

Aela crouched on a branch, her hand up in the gesture for 'stop'. 'Five Hunters, possibly more.' She mouthed, discreetly pointing at sections of the glade. Two Hunters could be seen trying to hide themselves on branches, the lumpy shape of their equipment giving them away. Two other Hunters could be seen hiding in the bushes, waiting to ambush any who came by. The last Hunter stood atop the Oak, scanning for threats with her bow drawn and an arrow in her hand. Naruto mimed several motions to Aela, who nodded and drew her bow. "Naruto is going to run in and draw their attention while we support him from here and wait to see if there are reinforcements. If there are, you," she pointed at Hana and Yuugao, "Will drop in and back him up."

The dragon-man dropped out of the tree, hitting the ground with a soft thump. He leaned over, getting into a sprinter's crouch, before he pushed off and charged into the undergrowth with fearsome roar.

He tilted his head forward and slammed into one of the Hunters, horns-first. Naruto carried the concussed hunter across the clearing in his horns, where he stopped and simultaneously twisted his neck, throwing his victim through the air and into the Oak.

"There he is! Attack!" Came a yell from the forestry, followed by at least six more Hunters charging into the clearing and three more coming out of hiding in the boughs.

"Go!" Aela ordered as she set an arrow to her bow and shot it off at the other archers with enviable accuracy.

The Hunter standing atop the tree loosed an arrow down at her target, cursing slightly as it bounced off of his protective scales and hit the ground. She reached back to grab another arrow from her quiver, when the steel tip and wooden shaft of an arrow sprouted out of her shoulder, followed by another pierced her chest and made her tumble from the top of the tree.

Naruto batted the blade of one of his adversaries' aside, the force from his limb shattering the sword and scattering the pieces. He grabbed the man by the neck and held him in front of a trio of arrows that were meant to kill him but instead killed their ally. Naruto hefted the corpse and hurled it into an oncoming enemy, feeling an arrow bounce off of his shoulder.

He spun, avoiding more arrows, releasing a long chain that wrapped around a Hunter's neck and absently yanked, splintering his foes' spine. A screaming body impacted a few feet to his left with a thump as a whirlwind of claws and chakra buzzed over his head and began to shred everything in reach.

A pair of shuriken spun through the air and landed in the eye sockets of an unlucky Hunter, followed by a white short blade that ended his life.

The dragon man deflected blows from a pair of Hunters, ripping their weapons away and hefting them in front of himself to soak up the arrows from their comrades.

One sneaky Hunter leapt at his back from a nearby tree, a pair of daggers posed to strike. His tail lashed out and batted his assailant aside like one would a fly, the meaty crunch of bones and organs being pulverized lost among the melee.

Hana ducked as Naruto hefted one corpse in his hand and used it like a projectile, hurling it into one of the remaining snipers from the trees and killing her.

The last Hunter dropped from his perch and ran, not bothering to fight. Aela leapt from her spot and rolled on impact, coming back to her feet and drawing her axe at the same time. She drew her arm back and then pitched it forward with a grunt of exertion.

The axe hurtled across the distance and slammed into the Hunters' back, throwing him to the ground and ending his life.

"There, that's the last of them," Aela commented, striding forward and yanking her axe out of the corpse. "We only have a few more hours until the unicorn is spawned, so let's set up some traps and get into hiding spots."

They set to work, dragging the bodies away and hiding them in a shallow ditch covered by fallen branches. Naruto bent a few branches back and then tied them place, setting trip wires that send the branches flinging forward if crossed. It may not seem like a lethal trap, but the length of the branches had sharp pieces of metal embedded in them.

Aela set up a few of her favorite snares, ones she called a 'Dropper'. The trap was simple, a loop of twine covered by leaves on the ground, which lead up to a bent branch that, when disturbed, would wrap around the target's ankle and heave them into the air upside down. The best part of it, and the reason for them name, was part of the branch would be cut, so when it pulled someone into the air, the force would snap the branch and drop them onto a previously placed rock.

Kakashi, Yuugao and Hana used the standard-issue trap set that most Konoha ninja were required to carry, barring those with very little skill and knowledge, to create a few traps with spring-loaded kunai and shuriken slings.

The group then set about hiding in different spots. Aela lay down on thick branch of the Oak and draped herself in her cloak to make her look like part of the branch. Kakashi dived into the ground like fish, leaving a hollow tube on the surface for him to breathe through. Yuugao dug a small hole and then covered herself with a bush, making her look like any other part of the shrubbery. Naruto sat at the base of the Oak, among the thick roots and curled up into a ball after discarding his cloak, making him look like a chunk of obsidian that had been caught in the roots of the tree. Hana used a weaker variant of the Inuzuka Clan's Tsuuga jutsu to make a hole in the space between the roots of the Oak before covering the hole just enough so she could see and breathe but not be spotted.

Hana's amused brown eyes flicked over to him and twinkled with humor. "I can't believe you're pretending to be a boulder."

One of Naruto's red eyes flicked open and focused on the Inuzuka kunoichi. "Shh, I'm a rock."

Hours passed with barely any movement from the people in the small clearing. The silence was occasionally broken by rustling foliage and animals, but otherwise all was peaceful.

Only one Hunter came near in the time that it took for the unicorn spawn, and he was quickly taken care of by one of Aela's Droppers.

A loud scream of surprise rent the air as an unlucky soul stepped into the snare, the loop snapping around his ankle and hauling him feet-first into the air. The branch snapped with a sharp crack, and the unfortunate Hunter was dropped onto a nearby rock that split his skull open and ended him.

"And that's why it's called a Dropper." Naruto whispered to Hana.

Within an hour, something started to grow out of the ground. It was a bush, with bright green leaves and soft green buds. A feeling of contentment and peace settled over the clearing, nearly lulling the Konoha ninja and the Huntress into sleep, only their sense of purpose keeping them from drifting off.

The bush grew and grew until it was eight feet tall, where buds sprouted into white flowers. Daisies, Lilies, and white roses bloomed all over the bush, which began to rustle ad shake.

A pure white horn poked out of the shrub, followed by a long, sleek head and large, silver eyes. The mane on the Unicorn was pure white, and looked to be made of the softest silk. The body was covered in silver hair the shimmered, with a tail to match the mane. Looking on the Unicorn, one could see just graceful the beast was, built for speed and agility.

The Unicorn neighed softly and began to feed on the grass. Aela drew back the string on her bow, the tip of her arrow aimed at the back leg of the beast. Naruto, Hana, Yuugao and Kakashi prepared themselves to bring the beast down.

Someone screamed from the forest as she stepped into a trip wire, which released the branch it held back, the sharp metal tips slamming into her chest and throwing her to the ground.

Startled by the scream, the Unicorn neighed and dashed out of the clearing, leaving a trail of lilies growing out of the ground.

Aela cursed and shot, the tip carving shallow gash into one of the Unicorn's legs. They sprinted after the white horse, the chakra-able leaping into the trees. The war-painted huntress alighted on the dragon-man's back and nocked another arrow to her bow as he ran after it.

The Konoha ninja hurled shuriken and kunai at the Unicorn, scoring very few hits, though the ones made counted, and the single-horned horse began to slow down.

With injuries hampering its' movement, the Unicorn stumbled and rammed into a tree, neighing in pain and fear.

Naruto took advantage of its' brief stop, putting his shoulder down and tackling the Unicorn to the ground and holding it down, despite the kicks it threw and thrashing it made.

He crawled up and leaned on its' neck. One bright silver eye stared into his red, fear and pain shining within the orb. Naruto with drew a silver knife and placed it on the base of the horn, with the other hand grasping the top firmly. With one smooth cut, the horn was separated from the Unicorn.

The dragon man stood, releasing the Unicorn from his hold.

The white beast stood and shook itself, dropping the sharp metal implements stuck into its' hindquarters to the ground. Every cut on its body healed, and the horn grew back quickly. The Unicorn turned and lightly tapped Naruto's chest with its' horn before dashing off into the trees.

"Alright, that was weird." Naruto muttered to himself, putting the horn in his pack. The others joined him, watching the white rear of the Unicorn vanishing in the undergrowth.

"We're one step closer to finally being free of this place." Aela said resolutely, a fire burning in her eyes. "Let's go find camp. Hopefully, Mira and your white-eyed friend have found the location of the White Stag's spawning point."

…

The group made it to the new camp, having followed a subtle trail left by the Hunted, which included small flecks of blue paint and a scent trail that Aela's nose could detect, along with Hana and her ninken. "I was a hunter before I joined the Companions," She explained, after Yuugao asked her how she could smell something like that. "Born and raised to be predator by my father. He taught me how to track animals before I could even walk."

Having said her piece, the war-painted woman tore into the haunch of meat held in her hands. Naruto stepped up near the fire pit, dumping a large boar onto the ground and kneeling next to it. Hana watched with interest as he used his talons to quickly and efficiently skin and gut the big pig, tossing the inedible innards aside to be disposed of and setting the skin aside to be cured into leather. He stabbed the beast on large stick and set the stick on two other sticks over the dying fire.

Pulling back slightly, the large man breathed a stream of fire over the boar, roasting the meat. "I have a question." Kakashi said, looking over his book. "How is it that you can't use magic or chakra, but you can still shoot fire and that other stuff out of your mouth?"

Naruto looked at the silver-haired man, cutting off the flames pouring from his mouth. "Chakra and magika are both technically foreign energies. The originator of chakra, the Ten-Tailed Beast, used wildly chaotic energies called Youki or Demon Energy now, but it was actually a form of Magika that could only be used by Daedra or Dremora, lesser, humanoid Daedra. Overtime, humans became used to the energy and adapted it to the point that it started as developing coils in the body, and the complete loss of it is fatal."

He reached out and ripped one of the forelegs off of the boar, the meat still dripping blood. "Meanwhile, the Dragon's Tongue is natural to a dragon. It's like having an arm or an eye; it's the language of the world and all of its' elements. A dragon without the Voice isn't a dragon, it's a flying lizard."

"You shouldn't talk about Alduin like that." Mira joked, stripping a piece of meat off of the carcass and sitting on one of the logs around the camp fire. Nejiko joined them shortly and carved herself a slice and sat for a meal.

Aela licked her lips, tossing the clean bone aside. "Mira, what have you found?"

The blonde woman gave her a deadpan glare, her mouth full of food with juice running down her chin. The red-headed huntress realized she couldn't speak and waited, quaffing a stein of mead in the middle.

Eventually the Dragonborn finished, catching the wineskin thrown to her and draining a good amount. "The White Stag will spawn about two miles north of here, in rocky field. Hircine must be starting to change the Hunting Grounds again, as the trees there have needles and it's starting to cool a bit."

Aela pulled a map out of her pouch and unfurled it, looking at the information there. "Yes, the Grounds are changing once more. Already the map is being re-written." She rolled the map back up and stored it away. "It doesn't matter. We've never been this close to finally leaving. We aren't going to fail now."

Mira nodded in agreement, a determined fire burning in her eyes. "The Stag spawns at high noon tomorrow. The Hunters will surely know this, and will be looking for us. If he is anything, Hircine is fair. We will have no advantage against the Hunters, just as they will have none against us. Our skills will lead us to victory! To freedom!" She stood from her seat and raised her wineskin in the air, shouting out her toast.

The other Hunted threw their own drinks in the air and chanted back. "To freedom!"

As a few Hunted set up a watch schedule, Naruto and the others set up bedrolls and stored the food away. As they settled into a sleep, Hana felt something tickling in the back of her mind. Deciding to wait until the others were asleep, she settled back onto her bedroll and looked up at the stars.

With the dimming firelight and the small population and very little in the way of pollution, the stars in all their majesty were easily visible, little shining dots splayed out across the sky like an ocean of light sparkles.

A light tune, carried on the wind, made its' way into Hana's ears. Turning to the source of the music, she spied Naruto, propped up against a tree, and Mira, leaning into his side and idly strumming a lute. Looking on the two, she couldn't help but compare the difference in stature between the two. While Mira was tall, outstripping herself, Yuugao and several other ninja Hana knew, Naruto was like a brick wall. And he would only get taller.

Hana jolted into wakefulness, being caught of guard by the calming tune and just how sleepy she was. Looking over, she saw Mira sleeping against the tree with a blanket, but no Naruto.

Creeping over to the spot that he had occupied, Hana searched out his scent and quickly followed it, coming to the shrine where Naruto knelt. She wondered why he was at the Shrine, kneeling to the statue, when a muffled crack and a crunch came from his body.

Somewhat alarmed, she made to move, when his back rippled; the scales grinding against each other. The sections around his shoulder blades and the middle of his back began to shift, forming what amounted to outcroppings of rock on a valley.

Hana heard him pant and growl in a much deeper voice than what she had heard earlier in the evening, muttering to himself in a guttural language she recognized as the tongue he spoke in as a child.

Examining him, she imagined his form as a new shinobi next to his form now. Compared to his lean runner's physique as a kid, this was like seeing him after he spent a couple of years doing nothing but lifting weights and eating rocks. And possibly bathing in molten rock.

It was kind of jarring, not to mention the extra limb or the horns. Or the scales. And as scary as his visage was, the Inuzuka kunoichi couldn't help but be attracted to him. Being from a clan that is really connected to both nature and their instincts, the Inuzuka kunoichi were inevitably attracted to physical strength and power, just as Inuzuka shinobi were confrontational with powerful men. Given that Naruto already exuded a dominant aura and strong pheromones, his entire stance and bearing screamed predator, which jumpstarted the Inuzuka's mating instincts into overdrive.

Tsume had sensed it when Naruto was younger, and so had Hana and almost every Inuzuka. At that time, it was nothing really strong, but as he grew older, it was all the Inuzuka heiress could do not to jump his bones, even when he was eleven. Her mother had felt the same problem and eventually fell to it when he was twelve, turning seduction training into actual seduction.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Hana asked, moving up and rubbing a smooth section of scales on his back.

He turned to look at her, showing his elongated face. The front part of his face had been pushed forward a little bit, making Naruto look even more like a dragon man. He also didn't really have lips anymore, just soft sections of scale that closed around his fangs. The whole package may have terrified a lesser kunoichi, but Hana found it terribly attractive.

"Ah. Hey, Hana." Naruto replied, cracking his neck. "Couldn't sleep?"

The Inuzuka kunoichi knelt next to him and hugged his arm, ignoring the pressure the spikes put on her vest. "I've missed you. I wanted to talk to you earlier, but I fell asleep." Even during the coolness of the night, he still exuded warmth like a sun-bathed rock.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, sitting on the ground and crossing his legs with some struggle.

Hana took advantage of his position to plant herself on his lap. Thankfully, the inside of his legs, arms and waist was devoid of spikes, keeping his full range of motion. "I haven't seen you in half of a year. I just want to know how you've been."

The big man shrugged. "Could be better, could be worse. I've been stuck in this forest, fighting for my life pretty much every day, with growing pains slowing me down. But, I've also gotten better with a bow and my chains, met a couple of people I thought I'd never meet until I died and got involved with yet another Daedra. Not to mention all the people I'm sure were hurt by my disappearance, and missing them in turn."

"A ninja's life, basically." Hana summed up, resting her head on the lower part of his chest.

"Basically." Naruto admitted, lightly stroking her back. "What about you?"

She shrugged. "Learned a few clan jutsu, treated a lot of animals, got better with my medical techniques. Pranked Kiba a couple of times. Nothing much." Hana closed her eyes, listening to the deep rhythmic thumps coming from his heart.

Within a minute, the rhythm lulled her to sleep, her breathing deep and even. Carefully, Naruto picked her up and carried her back to camp, sitting against the tree with Mira near it and setting Hana in his lap. The blonde Dovakiin snuggled under his arm and used part of his chest as a pillow, as was their norm after she discovered how warm he was.

Naruto let his mind drift away into sleep, knowing that, one way or another, things would come to a head tomorrow.

…

After bathing, dressing and eating, a group consisting of Aela, Mira, Naruto and the Konoha ninja followed the Dovakiin to the site of the White Stag's birth. Grouped in the middle of the rocky field was a small but dense copse of pine trees, so close together it looked like a dog would get stuck trying to fit between them.

Based on the sun, it looked to be about ten o'clock in the morning. The group dispersed, hiding and waiting for the Hunters to appear, as they would doubtlessly arrive soon.

About twenty minutes later, a small scuffle broke out when a Hunter stumbled on Kakashi's hiding spot. The silver-haired jonin quickly disarmed the Hunter and caught him in a stranglehold, and then pulled both of them under the earth, reappearing later without the Hunter, having left him to suffocate underground.

A small party of Hunters arrived thirty minutes later, and they didn't bother to look, they just shot arrows at anything that moved.

Aela leaned out form behind her rock and let loose an arrow, which sailed through the air and impacted into the chest of an Argonian with a battle-axe. The walking lizard stumbled back, and finally fell when a kunai from Yuugao sprouted out of his eye.

More Hunters began to arrive in overwhelming numbers. "Mira!" Naruto called out. "Frost!"

The mostly-dragon charged into view of the Hunters and leaned back as Mira alighted on his back, a deep breath filling her lungs. _**"Fo…Krah!"**_

"_**FO!"**_

The frozen power from Mira's Shout joined with Naruto's roar of freezing wind and swept across the Hunters, leaving frozen statues in its' wake. A quick '_**Fus!**_' shattered the statues and ended the threat.

Suddenly, a thunderous galloping was heard, coming from the center of the grove. With a speed rarely seen outside of shinobi, a large white stage with nearly twenty points on its' antlers came charging out of the thicket of trees, straight at Naruto.

Mira jumped away, but the dragon-man was not that fast. The White Stag bent its neck and picked Naruto up on its' antlers, carrying him across the clearing and hurling him through a tree with a flick on its' neck.

The Stag skidded to a stop and charged back towards the group as Naruto struggled to stand after being thrown through a tree.

Aela rolled out of the Stag's path, barely missing the trampling hooves. Kakashi channeled chakra to his legs and leapt as far as he could go, sailing over the Stag's head and raining shuriken on its' back.

The great white beast ignored the wounds and came back, head lowered to skewer anyone in his path. It centered on Hana, who had her back to an outcropping of rock. The Inuzuka Kunoichi stuck her hands above her head with chakra and flipped herself up, pushing off as the Stag charged her. Instead of hitting the rock and stopping, the Stag broke through the rock, scattering pebbles and chunks of rock.

The beast stopped and turned back around, charging straight at the middle of the group. Naruto leapt in front of the beast and gripped its' antlers, digging his feet into the earth in an effort to stop the Stag from picking him up again.

A duo of arrows raced through the air and buried themselves into the Stag's flank, getting a low of pain from the beast as shuriken and kunai peppered its side.

Aela leapt onto the Stag's back, hacking at its' spine with her axe. The Stag bucked, concentrating on getting the aggressor on its' back off, which was just what Naruto was looking for. With a step forward and a grunt of effort, the dragon man planted himself and twisted, yanking the Stag's neck harshly to the point that it broke, and killed the beast.

The Stag slumped to the ground and Aela quickly set to work cutting off the antlers with a silver knife, excitement making her hands shake. When she was done, she reverently lifted the antlers and packed them in the bag with the other ritual items. "Mira! Fire the signal!"

The Dragonborn nodded with an excited smile and pointed a tube of wood at the sky, yanking on the rope dangling underneath, setting off a green flare that sailed off into the sky and exploded, scattering green sparks into the air.

"Hurry! We must be swift!" Aela shouted, sprinting into the forest with the others following her. They jumped over the roots of trees and dodged trunks while staying at the same speed, heading straight into the heart of the Hunting Grounds.

Naruto took the lead and charged straight through a series of traps, the arrows and sharp rocks bouncing off of his hide. A group of Hunters ambushed them, but it did nothing to slow them down, bulling right through the ambush to continue.

Up ahead, they could see a white statue gleaming in the sunlight. "Mira, go!" Naruto yelled, tossing her the pack of ritual items. The blonde Dragonborn leaned forward and hurtled into the clearing at break-neck speeds, skidding to a stop in front of the shrine and started setting the ritual items into the bowl there.

"No!" A hooded figure leaped from the trees, dagger drawn to plunge into Mira's back, but Naruto dived in front of him at the last second, the blade slipping between a gap in his scales and bouncing off one of his ribs.

Aela leaped over the down form of the dragon man and unleashed a straight double-footed kick into the man's chest, launching him into a tree and leaving his dagger in Naruto's side. He charged back at them as Naruto opened his mouth and Shouted. _**"FUS!"**_

The wave of energy slammed into the man and carried him into a tree and then through it, leaving him insensate on the ground.

Mira set the antlers down in the bowl and pulled out the last item, the gray stone necklace from the scavengers, and crushed it into dust, scattering the remnants over the items in the bowl.

As light began to shine, the man tried to stand, knocking his hood back and showing himself to be Dartho. "NOOO!" He screamed in rage.

The shrine to Hircine lit up, blinding everyone who looked at it. When the light faded, everyone in the Hunting Grounds, even the dead Hunters, appeared at the shrine, along with the Hunted, who let loose a rousing cheer at the thought of freedom.

A ball of light fell from the sky and hovered near the ground, bursting and coalescing into a humanoid form.

Hircine was tall, nearly eight feet, and muscled like a man who had spent most of his life wrestling tigers into submission. Which was probably something he did. They couldn't see his face or his eye due to the deer skull that covered his head, and he had a simple spear strapped to his back.

"Congratulations." Hircine's voice was deep and raspy, like a man who hadn't had a drink in weeks. "You are the third in the history of my Hunting Grounds to have earned the right to leave."

The Hunted cheered while the Hunters began to cry at their failure. "Why are you cheering?"

While he seemed to have no eyes, Hircine's gaze burned into the Hunted and silenced them swifter than an arrow in the night. "You've done nothing to earn this. They have." He said, pointing at the group of Konoha Shinobi along with Aela and Mira. "I am nothing if not fair. If you had even participated in the tracking, I would probably let you go. As it is, you let your leaders do all of the planning, all of the work and get all of the kills."

A horrified silence descended on the Hunted, while a grim look stole over Aela's face. She knew this could have been an outcome.

"W-what does this mean, Lord Hircine?" Tessir asked, his voice shaky.

Even though they couldn't see it, they got the impression that Hircine was looking at them incredulously. "You aren't leaving. They are. They did the work. They get the reward." He shrugged carelessly. "Unless, of course, you kill them now and take their places."

Almost as one, the Hunted drew their weapons and charged at the freed group, who were taken by surprise.

Hircine chuckled and snapped his fingers, taking the entire group away in a flash of light, bringing them to the edge of the Kiri no Mori. "You have done well. I respect your talents as hunters, and recognize you as predators."

He approached Aela, who kneeled. "Aela the Huntress. You are worthy of your title, and in recognition of your skills, I bestow upon you your beast blood and this." Hircine summoned a ring in a flash of light, handing it to the kneeling red-head who cradled it reverently.

"Thank you, Lord Hircine." She said quietly.

He moved to Mira next, who also kneeled. "Mira, the Dragonborn. In recognition of your skill, I gift you the beast blood and this Amulet, which will allow you to change anytime you want."

Hircine bent light and created an amulet with a wolf motif, with glowing orange eyes, and handed it to the kneeling Dragonborn, before moving onto Kakashi. "Kakashi of the Thousand Techniques. You are worthy to be recognized by Hircine. As such, your transplanted eye will act as if it was a natural part of your body. And this as well."

He held out the White Chakra Fang, which morphed under his will until it actually resembled a long, curved fang from a saber-toothed cat. Kakashi took the blade and bowed, murmuring his thanks.

Yuugao was next, standing stiffly at attention. "Yuugao, Konoha's Greatest Kenjutsu Master and Cat-Lover, I bestow upon you the gift of were-cat blood and this, the Bow of Finding. Use them well."

Yuugao shuddered as her blood changed and a bow made of red metal appeared in her hands. "Thank you."

He moved onto Nejiko. "Nejiko, the Strongest Hyuuga of your generation. I recognize your tracking capabilities and gift you with these: The eye of the Cyclops, which will nullify your blind spot and increase the range of your vision. And the Shuriken of Distance, which can be thrown much farther than any mundane shuriken and will come back when lost."

Nejiko blinked as her eyes became a whiteish-yellow and a bundle of ten shuriken appeared in her hands. "Thank you, Lord Hircine."

The Huntsman of Princes moved onto Hana. "Hana, the Healer of Animals. I recognize your potential and the growth you will achieve. In recognition, I gift you these: the fierce blood of the wolf and the Savior's Hide, which will protect you from poison and the elements."

Hana shook violently as a bundle of armor and hide appeared in her arms. When she opened her eyes, they soft brown was sharper with a hint of yellow and slitted eyes, the clan markings on her cheeks gaining a blue tinge.

Hircine came, at last, to Naruto. "Naruto, Alduin's Successor. I see the apex predator that flows through your very being and I recognize you as the next Great Dragon, and gift you these: the mane of the Unicorn you allowed to live, which will protect you as you did it, and the Bow of Hircine."

A black leather jacket lined with white fur appeared in his hands, along with a bow made from a dragon's horn. "Do take care of that, will you? It is mine, and I do expect it back at some point."

He waved his hands at the group. "Now, leave my Grounds. Unless you want to stay…?"

The group bolted as Hircine laughed loudly.

…

"Where will you go?" Yuugao asked the two women out of time.

Mira smiled and hopped onto Naruto's shoulder. "I'm going with Naruto. I don't know anyone else."

Aela nodded. "I'll come with him too. Plus, he owes us Dragon-Fired Steaks and Blackbriar Mead."

They chuckled and continued on the path back to Konoha.

Later, at night, Naruto laid out on his back under the stars, staring at the twinkling lights while he drifted off to sleep.

"_**It's about damn time!"**_ A feminine voice screamed. The giant fox known as the Kyuubi bounded forward and tackled Naruto to the ground, her tongue lolling out of her mouth.

"Aww, were you worried about me?" He teased, patting the fox on the nose.

"_**NO! S-shut up!"**_ She retreated with her nose high and curled up in the basket that was her bed.

As he got back to his feet, Naruto was knocked right back down by the flaming woman named Ember, who cuddled against his chest and rained fiery kisses on his face while exclaiming her happiness.

"**Welcome back, kid."** Naruto gently pushed Ember up and walked over to his father figure, hugging the giant dragon around the neck.

"It's good to be back." He said softly, a few tears escaping from his eyes. Alduin was crying slightly as well, his tears white hot and sizzling as they hit the ground.

"_**Pfft. Pussies."**_

…

In Konohagakure, there was a woman with wild raven hair and ruby eyes, whose face had become lined from stress and worry, and it was obvious that she'd been crying earlier.

Something clicked in her head, and she looked up, her ruby eyes gazing at something only she could see, gaining a tinge of pink. _"My love!"_ She shouted joyfully. _"I knew you could escape! When I see you…the Succubi will be jealous!"_

Kurenai Yuuhi, unwitting host of Dibella, cried tears of joy, and prepared to welcome Naruto home, even if she didn't know how she knew he was coming back.

…

The next day, a strange group if there ever was one approached the great gates of Konohagakure.

Kakashi wore his headband normally, his black eye and brown eye perfectly exposed to the world, with a white fang carried on the back of his belt.

Yuugao had unzipped her jonin vest, exposing a good deal of cleavage and the cat's paw tattoo on her sternum and carried a red metal bow on her back.

Nejiko had a broad smile on her face, her eyes an opaque yellow, flipping a black shuriken.

Aela had her old armor on, which was leather with runed metal plates on the chest, back, thighs, hands and feet, with an opening that exposed a part of her chest.

Mira wore black armor that shimmered in the sunlight, scales decorating the whole thing. The front was armor plated but still managed to be feminine at the same time, along with the rest of her armor, her Amulet proudly displayed around her neck.

Hana wore the Savior's Hide, which had the face of wolf decorating the front, with two rubies for eyes that would sometimes glow. The armor exposed a good amount of Hana's chest along with her arms, and if she had not been wearing pants, most of her well-muscled legs. She'd replaced the standard sandals with a pair of leather boots, and her hands were now covered in metal gauntlets with three vicious metal spikes on the knuckles.

Taking up the back was Naruto. After being able to access his magika once more, the dragon man ahd cast a spell that allowed him to take human form for awhile. Because of the changes he had gone through in the Kiri no Mori, his human form had changed as well. He was now well over six feet tall, and his hair had gained a gray tinge, with his eyes remaining the hellish red of his dragon parent. The tattoos on his face had been joined by similar markings on his chest that outlined the larger plates of scales of his dragon form, which was bared by the lack of shirt.

He wore the leather jacket gained from the Unicorn, which was black trimmed with white fur, which had a stylized deer skull on the back in grey thread, along with cargo pants, but bereft of boots. He had the Bow of Hircine slung over his back along with a quiver of arrows.

The gate guards, a pair of Chunin, one Hyuuga and the other a man named Kotetsu, looked at the group with wide eyes. "Uh…welcome back to Konoha." Kotetsu said in shock, handing them a clipboard to sign in. "Your guests will need to see the Hokage."

The Konoha shinobi signed in and started for the Hokage tower, leaving the two Chunin behind, still wide-eyed. "Holy shit." The black-haired Chunin muttered. "Did you see how tall that kid got?"

The Hyuuga shook his head. "He wasn't what I was looking at." He muttered, cheeks flushed.

Kotetsu blinked and then gave the Hyuuga a smirk. "Pervert."

…

The Sandaime Hokage looked up from his work as his door opened, only for his jaw to drop. "Naruto?" He asked slowly.

The tall man waved with a smile. "Hey gramps."

Within a blink, the old man had gone around his desk and was squeezing the life out of Naruto in a hug. Even with his enhanced body, the mostly dragon found it very hard to breathe.

Sarutobi set him down and sat back in his chair, looking like he hadn't nearly broken someone's back with a hug. "So, who are these ladies you've brought with you?"

Naruto, after getting his breath back, explained who and what Mira and Aela were to the shocked Sandaime, who offered them a spot in the Konoha Ninja Corps, but they both refused.

"From what I've seen," Mira started, leaning against a wall, "The warriors of today move a lot faster than we're used to. We need to train and get faster and stronger if we're going to be effective."

The old man nodded. "Very well. If you decide to join afterwards, there will be a spot open for you, if you wish. Naruto, after being gone so long, it is protocol for shinobi who've gone missing in action to be interrogated."

He snapped his fingers and an ANBU wearing a bird mask appeared next to Naruto and laid a hand on his shoulder, taking both of them away in a shunshin. The Sandaime nodded to the two out of time women. "I'll have someone come by to help you integrate into modern times. Yuugao, please lead them to Naruto's apartment complex. The rest of you, except Kakashi, are dismissed."

Everyone except the silver-haired jonin left, leaving the two alone. The Sandaime laced his fingers in front of his face and stared at the jonin. "Give me your report, Kakashi, and leave nothing out."

…

Naruto sat at table in an empty room, his weapons gone. Sitting across from him, licking a kunai, was a grinning woman wearing a fishnet bodysuit, a trench coat and a miniskirt and not much else.

"I've heard good things about you from Nai-chan." The woman started. "Mostly about how good you are in bed. I've been waiting to meet you for months, so I'm going to get straight to the point. If you don't fuck me here and now, I'm going to make a statement that you've been brainwashed into a traitor and should be imprisoned for safety, where I can visit you every night until I deem you safe for the public. Got it?"

As she spoke, Anko circled around the table and sat on metal surface with her legs spread, showing Naruto that she had decided to not wear underwear today. The dragon man sighed and discarded his jacket, beginning to unzip his pants.

Anko grinned widely. "There we go. Now, show me just what had Nai-chan creaming herself whenever she thought about it."

…

Hours later, Naruto was walking down the street to his apartment. After being declared free from any machinations by Anko, she slipped a kunai inscribed with her address in his pocket with a wink and let him leave, Naruto decided it was time to see the important women in his life, starting with the one that gave him his first kiss. It also had nothing to do with ramen and the complete lack of it he had to deal with for nearly seven months, no sir.

He brushed aside the curtain to Ichiraku ramen and stepped inside. Ayame was currently behind the counter, cleaning up and getting ready to go home. "I'm sorry, but we're closed."

He kept walking toward her, unable to speak with all of these emotions roiling in him.

Ayame sighed and turned to face whoever it was that wouldn't leave with a stern face. "Look here, you can't just…come…" Tears started to gather in her eyes, her hands coming up to her mouth and her knees started to tremble. "…Naruto?"

He nodded, tears of his own blurring his vision. Ayame began to shake so bad that she fell to her knees, eyes wide and blank. Naruto darted forward and grabbed her in a tight hug, feeling her shaking frame tremble in his arms. "It's me…Ayame-chan. I'm back."

Her arms came up shakily, her small hands tracing the tattoos on his face. "It really is you…" She mumbled in shock.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide and a massive, happy smile broke out on her face. "Naruto!" Ayame shouted, leaping onto the shinobi and driving him to the ground, her arms around his neck and her lips smashed against his.

Naruto let out a grunt as he landed on his back but returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm, one hand cupping her face and the other going over her back to pull them even closer together.

Ayame separated, looking down into his red eyes with her soft brown. "I knew you would come back to me." She whispered quietly, one hand stroking his cheek.

"Of course I would." He said back just as quietly. "I haven't fulfilled my promise yet."

Her face fell a little. "Naruto…will you stay with me tonight?"

At his confused look, she blushed and explained what she meant. "I mean stay with me and hold me tonight. I've missed you so much."

Naruto smiled and reached up, pulling her down to kiss her again. "Of course I will."

…

All around Konoha, certain ladies perked up, suddenly feeling as if something they had been missing had come back without their knowing.

Tenten looked up from her forge and out the window, her eyes staring at the stairs in wonder. "What is this feeling? My heart feels…happy. Naruto…"

She looked back down at the piece of metal she was working on and smiled. "Soon, we'll be working together again, I just know it."

…

…

**A/N: So, that took longer than I thought. I honestly had about half of this written out about a week after the previous chapter, but I hit a roadblock so bad my grampa in Detroit called up and said 'Damn!'**

**Anyway, I hope you like it. I hope it explains a few things and brings up more questions that will keep you thinking about this story and waiting for the next chapter, which should not take as long because God. Damn. That was irritating. It's a pain in the ass to know where you want to take a story but be utterly unable to get any of it down.**

**So goes life, I guess.**

**There is something I want to say, though.**

**To all the fanfiction writers who can't make up your damn minds: MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MINDS.**

**Far too many times have I started reading a story that started out really interesting (interesting couple, interesting story, etc.) only for it to be abandoned because 'No one reviews' or 'all the haters' or what have you. To you, I say: Get over yourself. So some people don't like what you write, big goddamn deal. If I wrote solely for people to like what I've written, I would have quit a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, reviews mean a lot to me, even if it's just 'you suck you should kill urself lolz' because I find amusement out of it. The best people are the ones who review, tell you why the like it or why the don't, and you use it to grow and become a better writer, but don't let them take control of a story. It's your story. If I wanted to give Naruto uber-satan powers, I could, because **_**I'm writing it.**_

**But I won't, because that doesn't fit in with the outline I've written up and I am nothing if not orderly.**

**So, in conclusion: Peer pressure is lame, and you shouldn't bow to it just because people don't like you.**

"_**You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something."**_** –Teddy Roosevelt.**

…

**Read, Review and Enjoy.**

**Stay Awesome.**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: Things haven't even started. Next chapter, stuff happens. And people react to that stuff happening.**

**Stay Awesome Some More.**

**~still Soleneus**


	9. The Other Feelings Chapter

The first thing Naruto saw when he awoke the next was Ayame's peaceful sleeping face with a small smile curling her lips. He couldn't help but stroke her soft cheek, watching as she shuffled a little bit and mumbled sleepily.

Looking out the window, he noticed that it was around seven o'clock. Ayame would need to get up soon for work, and Naruto himself needed to reunite with the other important people in his life.

But that didn't mean he couldn't make breakfast.

He attempted to pull away from the sleeping civilian, but her surprisingly strong grip and cute whine cut it short. Carefully maneuvering his pillow, he managed to slip out of her arms and replace himself with the pillow. Ayame frowned in her sleep, noticing the lack of warmth, but smiled and settled back down after he softly kissed her cheek.

Opening the fridge, he found it to nearly bare of food, only a jug of nearly expired milk and an egg carton with a single egg inside of it being the only consumables present. Shaking his head ruefully, Naruto donned his jacket and left the house, heading for store.

…

Waving good-bye to the clerk, leaving the man staring after him with wide eyes, Naruto started back to Ayame's apartment, a couple of bags full of food and ingredients hanging from his arms.

Ayame woke to the smell of something delicious and a lack of warmth and definition from her snuggle-buddy. Opening her eyes and finding that she was only holding a pillow that still smelled like her fiancée, she smiled.

She blushed from her thoughts. Technically, they were engaged to be married, if 'technically' followed a promise made as pre-teens. Even if it didn't, the civilian waitress didn't care. He was still hers. Even if he was also other girls' fiancé, he was still hers, and that was all that mattered to Ayame.

Looking at her clock, she realized that time would not stop and let her daydream, and she would have to get to work soon.

After dressing in a white shirt and a pair of brown pants (her work outfit), she left her room to find the tall frame of her fiancée hovering over the stove, humming an odd sort of chant to himself while he cooked. While she enjoyed the time when he was short enough that she could snuggle his head into her chest, Ayame also liked his new stature. His size and muscles, which spoke of barely restrained strength and power, coupled with the tenderness with which he held her and the gentleness of his overall personality made her feel warm and protected, like having a life-sized bear to hold at night.

She pulled out a chair and sat, just watching as Naruto flipped something and caught it on a plate, setting with another plate full of food. He picked up the plates and turned around, jumping a little when he found Ayame sitting at the table with a small smile on her face that turned into a giggle when she saw her flowery pink apron draped over his muscular and otherwise bare chest.

"Hey." He said bashfully, a light dusting of red stemming from the embarrassment of being caught in a woman's apron.

"Hey 'Miss' Chef." She replied with an impish smile.

Naruto gave her a deadpan look and set a plate in front of her along with a fork. "I didn't want to cook bacon bare-chested. I may be a dragon, but the irrational fear all men have of hot, popping grease runs strong in my blood. This of course, has no effect on being able to bathe in molten rock, for…reasons, I guess."

Ayame giggled and chewed on a piece of the crispy treat, watching very closely as her fiancé pulled off her apron and started on his breakfast without a shirt. _You kind, sweet and loving bastard. My apron will smell like you all day, and I won't be able to think of anything else._

She dug into her own food, enjoying the taste of eggs, thin cut steak, toast and bacon.

All too soon, breakfast was over, and she had to get to work. At the door, Ayame and Naruto stood, hugging each other tightly.

"I'm so glad you're back." The waitress said, her head resting against his chest.

Naruto simply nodded and stroked her back, enjoying the presence of one that he loved. Eventually, they separated, but not before Ayame leaned up and pressed her lips to his. "I love you." She whispered quietly.

Naruto smiled softly and kissed her back passionately. "I love you too."

Ayame grinned happily and held his arm as they left the house. Once they came upon the intersection that would take her to work and him to his apartment, she hopped up and kissed his cheek, skipping away merrily afterwards.

Naruto watched her go, then sighed and looked up at his apartment building. _Time to see them again. I hope they've forgiven me._

…

**Chapter 9: Another Chapter About Feelings And Stuff**

**Quick Warning: Citrus this chapter**

…

"So, what's this meeting about?" A jonin wearing the standard jonin uniform asked. The thing that stood out about him was the red sash around his waist and the beard covering his chin. Kakashi, who was walking towards the Hokage tower with him, shrugged blithely.

"How would I know, Asuma?" The lazy jonin replied, his nose buried in an orange book.

Asuma shrugged and took a pull on his cigarette. "I don't know. Just thought you might."

Kakashi shook his head and swerved to avoid smacking into a streetlight. "Nope." He turned another page and kept reading. "You want to go to a strip club after this?"

The smoking jonin shook his head with a grin. "No. I'm gonna see if Kurenai will go on a date with me."

Kakashi subtly glanced over at the other jonin and rolled his eyes. _Kunoichi are way too troublesome to deal with, especially in relationships. Not to mention she already has her eyes on another. And if my guesses on her body language are correct, I sincerely doubt she'll even think to look elsewhere._ "Suit yourself. More for me, I suppose."

Asuma glanced over at the other jonin with a thoughtful look. "Why do you go for the civilians, anyway? I mean, it's like a prerequisite that a kunoichi has to be hot, so why not?"

Kakashi made a firm chop with his free hand. "Nope. Not even going to go within sixty miles of there. Civilian women are simple. You show some interest, tell a few stories, show a few scars and bam, Bonetown, population: two. Or three if you're lucky."

He sighed happily, eyes glazed. "Totally and completely simple, nothing complicated there. Plus, they know that you're a ninja, so they kind of expect you to vanish before they wake up. It is fucking awesome."

Asuma sighed and shook his head. "Kakashi, complicated can sometimes be a good thing."

He spotted Kurenai and her best friend Anko chatting happily about something. Asuma jogged ahead of them and opened the door to the Hokage's office for them with a smile. "There you go."

The red-eyed jonin barely glanced at him, her mind clearly somewhere else, on someone else. Anko gave him a disappointed look. "Thanks, tool."

Asuma blinked in shock. "Ow. Right in the ego. You be a gentleman and get ignored."

Kakashi walked through the door, giving him a knowing glance. "Civilian women like gentlemen."

They joined the other crowd of jonin and chunin in the office, where the Hokage and the Elders, Koharu and Homura waited.

"Now that we are all here, I have an announcement I'd like to make." The Sandaime began, smoke lazily drifting from the bowl of his pipe. "The chunin exams are in two weeks. Now, since they are taking place in Kumogakure, we need to make a good showing, even if we did sign a treaty with them. Who will nominate their teams?"

Kakashi stepped forward first, book sequestered away for a change. "I, Kakashi Hatake, nominate Team Seven, consisting of Suki Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Hanabi Hyuuga for the Chunin Exams."

The Hokage nodded and looked to Kurenai, who stepped forward with a confident poise. "I Kurenai Yuuhi _'soon to be Uzumaki'_ Nominate Team Eight, consisting of Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga for the Chunin Exams."

The old man blew a smoke ring and looked to his son. "I, Asuma Sarutobi, nominate Team Ten, consisting of Chouji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka for the Chunin Exams."

A few other jonin stepped up, until Yuugao stepped forward to gasps of surprise. Many correctly guessed that since she had returned, so had her wayward student. "I Yuugao Uzuki, nominate Team Yuugao, consisting of Yugito Nii, Samui Nii, and Naruto Uzumaki for the Chunin Exams."

The Sandaime nodded in agreement and scanned over the room. "Very well, anyone else?"

"Hiruzen," Koharu spoke up from his side. "Team Yuugao does not have enough missions completed to attend the Exams. More to the point, one of their members has just returned."

"I know." Sarutobi sighed heavily. "The truth is, we need Naruto in the Exams. Out of almost all of the genin of this current generation, he is one that stands out the most, as 'Konoha no Kokushin'. People are expecting him to be there, and it would impact us negatively if he was not. Besides, I looked over their statistics. They only need one more C-ranked mission to qualify, so!" He pointed at Yuugao. "Bring your team to my office today for a mission. There are no other announcements, you are dismissed. Grab the necessary paperwork on the way out and report to me within the week with the results."

Asuma approached Kurenai, who was once more chatting with Anko, a wide, happy smile on her face. That smile died as soon as he came near her. "Hey Kurenai, do you want to go to dinner with me?"

She sighed and rolled her ruby eyes. "No."

He shrugged and continued. "Well, we can do something else, I mean, I'm flexible."

Fully turning to face him, Kurenai brought the full force of her glare, the glare that gave her the nickname 'The Ice Queen', a glare so cold it could freeze a man's heart at twenty paces. "Asuma, no. I'm not going to date you. I love somebody else, and he loves me. So, while I'm…flattered, no, thank you."

The two walked off, talking about visiting someone.

Asuma blinked, shocked by the blunt and quite succinct dismissal. "Wow. You just got burned by the Ice Queen." Kakashi commented, nose to book. "I told you man, complicated sucks."

The smoking jonin slowly pulled another cigarette from a pack and lit it, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Is that strip club offer still open?"

"Yuuup."

…

…

Since there were barely any people living in the apartment complex that Naruto owned, aside from Samui, Yugito, Mikoto, Suki, Satsu and now Aela and Mira, they paid for a few of the walls to be knocked down and the rooms brought together to make a gym/dojo.

Naruto slid door to the dojo open, hearing a few grunts of exertion and shouts of effort that came from sparring. He leaned in and peeked in on the sparring floor, seeing Suki and Yugito in the middle of an intense spar. Deciding to let them finish, Naruto moved on to the gym.

There, he found Samui. She was on her back, hefting a barbell with several weights down to her chest and then back up. She wore a pair of tight shorts and a sport's bra, along with bandages wrapped around her hands and wrists and not much else. She grunted as she brought the bar down to barely touch her chest, and then pushed it back up, a light sheen of sweat making her skin shine in the light from sun.

Samui had grown taller, Naruto noted with a small smile. Her hair had gotten little longer, and she tied it back to keep the blonde tresses out of her eyes. She had also gotten a few inches taller, now just below 5'8".

He padded forward, his bare feet making barely any noise. It was enough to get Samui's attention, however.

Her cold blue eyes flicked over to glance at him, then returned to staring at the ceiling as she counted off repetitions. It took two second before her brain registered what she had seen, and her eyes went wide before she nearly dropped the bar on herself.

Naruto rushed over and helped lift the bar back onto the stand as Samui sat up and stared at him with wide, glazed eyes.

"…Naruto?" She asked in a pained whisper.

He smiled softly at her and nodded. "Yeah. I'm back, Samui-chan."

She leaped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the side of his neck, small sobs shaking her frame. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand stroking the back of her neck lightly.

"I'm sorry, Samui-chan. I would've told you about Tsume and I, but… I didn't want you to think I was some man-whore who slept with everyone who gave him a sultry look. I didn't want to damage the relationship we had just started building, and instead I hurt you. And I'm sorry. So sorry for that." Naruto whispered to her, pressing light kisses to her ear.

Samui gently smacked him on the back of the head, her face still pressed to his neck, her nose inhaling his scent. "Baka." She mumbled. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I knew that it was a possibility that you would be involved with others, we all knew. And I attacked you just because I thought you didn't care about me. I hate the fact that I lost control of myself like that. Can you forgive me?"

Naruto gently pulled her back and softly pressed their lips together. "I forgave you a long time ago. Can you forgive me?"

She chuckled wetly and kissed him tenderly. "There's nothing to forgive, Naruto. Why don't we just agree that we could've handled ourselves better and leave it at that?"

He smiled and hugged her tightly. "You have no idea how badly I missed you, Samui. I missed your eyes, the way they would sparkle every time we had fun. I missed the way you would smile little smiles when you thought some thing was funny. I missed the way your cheeks would go pink when I complimented you. But most of all, I missed _you_ the most, Samui-chan. I missed holding you at night, and waking up to your peaceful face in the morning. I missed the cute little moans you made whenever I gave you a massage. And I missed the way you would squeeze me when we kissed."

She looked up into his eyes and pulled him down to meet her lips. When they separated, she smiled softly, her cheeks pink. "I missed you too." She said simply. Everything else didn't need to be spoken.

Samui locked her arms around his neck and pushed forward, sending him to the ground with her on top, her lips passionately molded to his, her tongue sneaking into his mouth to tangle with his. "I want you." She murmured with gleaming eyes. "I wanted you then, and I want you even more now."

Naruto cursed himself in his head. "Samui-chan, I can't do that."

Hurt crossed her blue orbs. "Why not?" She said plaintively.

He reached up and kissed her, driving that look away from her face. "Not yet. I still need to see the others. What would they think if they walked in here and saw you kissing me?"

Samui frowned for a second, before she shrugged and mashed their lips together, digging in his mouth with her tongue. "Fuck them." She whispered breathily. "I don't care if they see anything. I need you." To emphasize this point, she reached down and grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her ass with a smile.

Naruto groaned and flipped them over. "I can't. Not yet. Believe me, I want to. Mara, do I want to. But how would you feel if you walked in on me and Yugito?"

Samui groaned in defeat and slumped, her head resting on the ground. "Fine~"

Naruto titled her head up and pressed down on her, letting her feel the length of what seemed to be diamond in his pants press against her core. "I promise you, Samui, we will consummate this. I don't care what else happens today, we will have our time." He kissed her softly, full of promise.

The blonde kunoichi grinned up at him. "You better keep that promise."

Naruto pushed himself back to his feet and helped her up. "I never break a promise, Samui."

The door to the gym opened, showing the two previously sparring kunoichi sweaty and bruised. Suki had a towel over her head, drying the sweat out of her hair, while Yugito had hers around her neck, and she spotted Naruto first.

She didn't say a word, she just dashed past Suki and jumped onto Naruto, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around waist, squeezing as if she was afraid he would fade like a mirage. "I knew you would be back." Yugito breathed, taking in his scent. "I knew it."

She pulled back and lunged forward, smashing their mouths together, kissing him almost desperately. "I'm sorry." Naruto said once she pulled away.

Yugito nodded into the side of his neck. "Me too."

Taking the time he had, Naruto examined the blonde jinchuriki. Her hair had been cut shorter, the long braid only reaching down to mid back instead of her legs. She'd also gotten taller, coming up to his chest, and from what he could feel with her chest pressed to his and the hands he had holding her up, she'd gotten curvier as well.

She leaned back, loosening her arms and cupping his cheeks, staring into his red with her aqua eyes. She pressed forward and softly kissed him, running a hand through his hair. "I missed you so much."

He stroked her back and replied, "I missed you too."

Yugito stared into his eyes with a sad gleam. "Don't do that again, Naruto." She hit his chest lightly, tears brimming in her eyes. "There's something I want to tell you."

Naruto pressed a finger to her lips, cutting off what she wanted say. "You can tell me later, Yugito-chan. Right now, all that matters is that I'm here and you're here."

She smiled slightly and hugged him once more. "You're right. I don't think it's the right time to say it…yet."

A tap on her shoulder brought Yugito out of her reverie, and she turned to see Suki standing there with an impatient look on her face. Huffing, the blonde jinchuriki pressed a chaste but happy kiss to the blond jinchuriki's lips, before walking over to stand with her sister.

Suki stared at Naruto, her Sharingan activated, memorizing every surface of his face. Without warning, she lunged forward and clamped her mouth over his, furiously kissing him, as if she was afraid that he would fade away like dust in the wind.

Yugito and Samui looked away from scene with jealousy in their minds, before realizing that jealousy is what caused a problem in the first place. And while it wouldn't go away, they both made a pact with themselves to learn how to deal with it, or at least keep it from affecting their love lives too badly.

Whether or not the others did was not their problem.

Suki finally broke away when she could no longer breathe. "Damn, Suki." Naruto muttered. "We haven't even gone on a date yet."

The youngest Uchiha smiled and laid her head on his chest, content just to stay there. "We'll fix that eventually." She murmured to herself. "Just don't keep me waiting for too long, okay?"

They simply held each other, reveling in the atmosphere that comes from two best friends coming back together after a long time apart. "I didn't know you even thought of me that way." Naruto said quietly, lightly stroking her back.

"You were there for me after the Massacre, even if you didn't know who I was. You've stuck by me for more than half of my life, even when I went through my arrogant emo phase. There was no way anyone else could compare." Suki said truthfully.

They separated, Suki coughing to hide the blush lighting her cheeks and failing miserably. "Ahem. I should be going. I need to shower and…yeah…"

The Uchiha heiress dashed out of the room, unused to showing that much emotion in front of people not her best friend and her mother.

Laughing awkwardly, Naruto turned to the two sisters with a sheepish smile. "I should go. There are more people I need to see."

The two blonde sisters nodded and made to leave. Yugito kissed his cheek on the way out, and Samui gave him a smoldering kiss followed by an equally smoldering look, reminding him of his promise.

Naruto sighed, watching them leave. _I'm glad to be back._

…

Immediately after opening the door, he ran into Mikoto, literally. The once-retired jonin recovered after bouncing off the mostly-dragon, and squeezed the life out of him once she realized just who she had run into.

"I knew you were still alive." Mikoto stated firmly, her hand stroking the back of his head while the other was tightly wrapped around his shoulders. "I could feel it."

"And you are right, as always, Mikoto-chan." Naruto said softly.

While he had once looked on her as a mother figure, Naruto had changed that view after Alduin's memories started filtering in and he felt older than he actually was. He realized that she was a one-of-a-kind woman, and not someone you could find in every village. He just had no way of knowing if she felt the same, which was why her sudden interest in him was so startling.

Mikoto pressed on the back of his neck and leaned up, planting her lips firmly on his. There was no tongue-play or even groping involved, just two lovers reuniting with a tender kiss that sent shivers down their spines, holding the promise of more down the line.

She separated from him with a small smile and shimmering eyes, hastily wiping away happy tears that threatened to fall. "Well now, I guess I have something to gossip with the other ladies like the old woman I am."

Naruto grinned at her and playfully pinched one of her butt cheeks. "Old lady my ass…or your ass. It is quite fine; taut and firm, with not even a single modicum of sag to be found anywhere. Not to mention the rest of your body."

The Uchiha matriarch lightly slapped his chest with a smile. "Oh, you beast! Don't go giving in to your beastly urges on this poor old woman! What would the Hokage say?"

The dragon man thought for a second and then smiled brightly. "Good job!"

They shared a laugh, which died down until they were staring at each other with small smiles. Mikoto pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and let go of his waist. "I'm glad you're back, Naruto-kun."

"I'm glad too." He replied, watching as she walked away. "I'm not going anywhere, and you know where to find me!"

She turned and blew a kiss at him with twinkling eyes. "Yes, I _definitely_ know where you sleep, Naru-kun. Sleep tight."

Naruto shook his head at her teasing and walked to his room. Opening the door, he sighed at the familiar smells of his home. "I'm finally home."

The place was clean, which was kind of surprising giving that the sex-crazed, crazy-sexy and just plain crazy Satsuriku lived with him. The only real reminder that she lived there was the scattered magazines on the coffee table, being equal parts weapon magazines and porn, much like the woman herself.

His room was much the same, clean except for the rumpled covers of his bed, with the addition of his Ebony Bow, along with a scroll sitting on top of his dresser with candles around it.

_This must be some kind of memorial._ Naruto thought to himself, a sad smile curling his lips. _They must've thought I was dead. I don't blame them. What's in the scroll, though?_

He pulled the scroll off of his dresser and rolled it open, finding a few weapon and clothes seals.

Pressing his fingers to the first seal and channeling his chakra, Naruto opened the seal, finding a black sword with a sharp, curved silver edge along the blade that was slightly bent with silver filings along the side along with a sheath made of tough leather.

_The first sword Tenten and I ever made together. That same batch of ore was made into my bow and dagger too._ He reminisced to himself.

Naruto sheathed the blade and set it aside, opening the next seal and finding his dagger. He flipped it around and sheathed that as well.

The next seal brought forth the Dawnbreaker, the miniature sun shining in the golden hilt of the solid silver blade that pulsed with veins of sunlight all along the length. Naruto swung the blade lightly, the low hum of restrained power singing through the air.

_I knew you would be back to wield my blade, my champion. _A musical whisper floated through his thoughts, bringing to mind a grassy meadow bathed in sunlight.

The voice faded after, but left feelings of pride and joy behind.

Naruto set Dawnbreaker aside and unsealed the last seal. Waving away the smoke, he found his pouches, one full of potions, another full of small scrolls and another full of throwing weapons, and his hitae-ate, which he tied around his arm.

All of these weapons reminded him of one person he so badly wanted to see. _Tenten._ He thought, setting the pouches down. _I've put this off long enough. Time to see her._

Naruto slung the bow over his shoulder and left his apartment. He took to the street, easily ignoring the stares and whispered words. As he passed by the Yamanaka Flower shop, he peered inside and waved at Ino and Sakura, who were chatting near the counter.

He continued on his way, waiting for the impending explosion with a small smile, and he was not disappointed. A loud squeal erupted from the shop, followed by two human missiles, one pink and the other blonde.

Two bodies slammed into Naruto's back and two happy voices rang in his ears. "You're back!" They shouted in unison, Ino with her arms around his neck and Sakura fastened onto his arm.

Naruto reached back and pulled Ino away from his back and brought both of them in for a three-way hug.

While they weren't best friends, Ino and Sakura had always been friendly to him. The two girls were best friends, and one was rarely seen without the other, to the point that some were sure that they were in a relationship.

He never asked, and it's not like he really cared, they could do whatever they wanted.

The two girls were similar in some aspects, but different in a few meaningful ways. Ino was the heiress of the small and tight-knit Yamanaka clan, who had a focus on manipulating mental states, their own and others'.

Sakura's dad was an Aburame, from which she gained his bright green eyes and fine chakra control. And although her dad was still part of the Aburame clan, he couldn't get his daughter recognized as the same, nor was he able to get her a hive. Her mother, conversely, had only made it genin, and was the head of a large civilian union mainly consisting of food and jewelry merchants and a few restaurants.

Ino liked to keep her hair long in a high ponytail with a few bangs covering her left eye, and preferred to wear skirts and tank-tops, mostly deep purple or soft yellow in color.

Sakura kept her soft pink hair shoulder-length and tied her hitae-ate in such a way that it left her face clear, and often wore red battle-dresses and tight shorts.

The blonde genin focused on ninjutsu and genjutsu, and was pretty good with the shuriken in her pouch and the senbon hidden in her arm-warmers. The pink genin focused mainly on medical jutsu and taijutsu, being surprisingly strong with such a lithe frame and nearly perfect chakra control.

And they were different in another way. Ino was developing into a full-figured young woman, with her modest breasts and shapely legs being the more outstanding aspects of her body.

Sakura would never be voluptuous, but she had a lithe, athletic body with toned arms and full rear end that was very appealing, and she could never be called flat-chested.

Naruto pulled back from the hug and grinned as the two girls settled under his arms with their arms across his back. "Hey ladies, you're looking good since I last saw you."

The two girls smiled appreciatively. "You're one to talk, Mr. Muscles." Ino replied teasingly, patting his abdomen. "You know, I've always liked the ripped guys. Wink wink, nudge nudge."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. "Jeez Ino, why don't you just drop your skirt and bend over? I think that would be more subtle."

The Dragon-man chuckled and squeezed the pink kunoichi. "It's just teasing, I'm fine with it."

Both kunoichi glanced at each other, then at Naruto. "No it's not." Sakura said incredulously. "Have you thought that we've been teasing you this whole time?"

Naruto looked at the two kunoichi in surprise. "Wait, you haven't been teasing me?"

Ino shook her head slowly. "No…you're like, the only guy in our age group that we'd want to be with."

"What, really?" Now Naruto was truly shocked. "What about the other guys?"

"Like who, Shikamaru?" The blonde genin scoffed. "Yeah, right. He's so damn lazy I doubt he even masturbates. And, he's dead set on his dream of 'marrying a girl who's not too pretty, but not ugly' and having two kids. I think that's the only thing he wouldn't be lazy about. Plus, he's like a brother to me, same with Choji."

Sakura pulled a face. "Choji's a nice guy, but I wouldn't kiss him unless I'm desperate for a full meal. Besides them, there's only Kiba, and he's ornery, like, all the damn time. Plus, he constantly smells like dog. And not the good kind, either. Wet dog that likes to eat its' own poop."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Okay, ew, Sakura. And Shino is…well, he's just kind of weird."

The pink genin looked at her best friend oddly. "Shino's a girl, Ino."

"What, really?" The Yamanaka Heiress sputtered.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I had no idea until she took her jacket off. It really hides a lot."

He withdrew his arms around the two and turned to face them. "Are you two being serious here? You want to date me?"

Ino shrugged. "Well, not really 'date'. We're young, and a serious relationship just isn't something either of us wants right now. We want it to be a casual thing."

"Yeah," Sakura interjected, "We heard about you and Tsume Inuzuka, and we wanted something like that. Not super serious, but like friends with benefits."

"I think I could…do that." Naruto said, scratching his head. This was a first. Most of the other girls he was with sort of treated each other as rivals for his affections. It was kind of jarring for them to tell him that they only wanted a casual relationship, and so easily too.

"Cool!" They cheered, giving each other a high-five. "So, do you want to do it here?" Ino asked, looking around at the forested area they had walked into. "Not my first choice for where to have sex my first time, but I can handle it."

Naruto waved his hand. "Not right now. I just got back, and I need to see some people."

The blonde snapped her fingers while Sakura nodded. "I get that. We'll come around later, okay?"

He smiled at them and nodded. "Sure."

As he made to leave, he heard Ino's voice from behind. "Wait, Naruto!" As he turned around, Ino pushed Sakura forward. "Come on, you called dibs. So go do it or I will."

A deep blush lit up the pinkette's face as she shuffled towards him. "H-hey, Naruto, can you close your eyes?"

Slightly confused, Naruto complied, shutting his eyes. He heard her slowly come closer until they were nearly face-to-face. Then he felt something soft and slightly wet press against his lips.

Opening his eyes half-way, Naruto peeked out and saw Sakura's red face and tightly shut eyes as she kissed him tentatively. He felt her tongue hesitantly poke his lips, asking for entrance, and he allowed her into his mouth. She felt all around, probing the surface of his cheeks and teeth and finally tangling with his own, slightly longer and rougher tongue.

Taken by surprise at the sudden oral embrace, Sakura moaned out loud. Realizing what she was doing, her eyes shot open and she sprinted away, cheeks glowing brightly.

Ino laughed as she glimpsed her best friend's visage. "Pussy!" She called after the retreating head of pink hair.

"C'mere!" The blonde shouted, jumping at Naruto, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, seizing his head and pulling their lips together fiercely.

Whereas Sakura was hesitant, Ino was…not. She immediately grabbed his tongue at brought it into her mouth, sucking and fencing wildly with it.

After several minutes of sloppily making out, Ino hopped down from the slightly dazed Naruto and wiped the saliva and smeared lipstick from her mouth. "And that's just a taste, big boy." She winked at him and skipped away, shaking her hips at him as she went.

Dazed, Naruto stared after her until the purple-clad genin faded from view. _Okay…then…_

_**Whores…**_ Kyuubi muttered sullenly in his head.

_Oh, so you'll have a casual relationship with them, but not with me! So unfair! _Ember wailed.

Alduin sniffed, wiping a tear away with a talon. **"I'm so proud of you, son!"**

_**Shut up, you leathery old bat!**_

"**You're just a jealous, you PMSing throw-rug!"**

_**Oh, you wanna go, flying umbrella, then bring it on!**_ Kyuubi shouted, leaping to her paws with her tails thrashing behind her.

"**Oh please, you are thousands of years too young to even touch me, punk bitch."** Alduin retorted smoothly, chin high, not even glancing in Kyuubi's direction.

_**That's it!**_ She roared, baring her fangs. _**I'm a Vixen you son of a-**_

The Great Black Dragon waved a hand at her dismissively. **"You all look a like to me."**

_**RAAARRGH!**_ The Kyuubi screamed in rage, leaping through the bars at Alduin, claws extended, her entire being screaming bloody murder.

The World-Eater sighed and muttered, **"Iiss." **A wave of ice-blue energy fled from his mouth, encasing the leaping fox completely in ice.

She hit the ground with a loud thunk, where Alduin blew on her, sending her iced form back into her cage. He sighed and nodded to himself. **"Still got it."**

Naruto tried to ignore the by-play going on inside his head as he approached the weapons shop, Higurashi's Weapons for Violent Occasions, from where he could hear the sounds of metal striking metal. Someone must be at the forge.

The door slid open easily, the chiming of the bell lost in the hammering coming from the back of the shop. Tentechi Higurashi was napping with his feet propped up on the counter, his head leaning against a wall as he snoozed.

Naruto carefully stepped over the sleep man and stepped into the forge, not even feeling the wave of heat that rolled out of the entrance.

There, he found Tenten, clad in a heavy leather apron, bringing a hammer down on a chunk of white-hot metal repeatedly, slowly shaping it into the form she desired.

He just watched her for a few minutes, admiring her stance and the strength evident in her arms as she swung the hammer, taking in the fierce expression on her face and the sweat running down her face.

"Tenten…" Naruto spoke up.

Taken by surprise, the weapon-using kunoichi jerked, accidently throwing the metal lump through the air at his face.

Naruto reached out and caught the chunk before it could hit him with his bare hands, not bothered by the hot metal. He slowly strode over to Tenten and placed the piece aside, staring into her brown eyes intensely.

Tenten set her hammer down and looked back, slowly enclosing him in her arms. "I really did think you were dead, you know." She murmured to him, her eyes never leaving his. "It nearly killed me, imagining a world without you. I could barely even function…"

Naruto kept silent, just bringing a hand up to brush away a stray tear from her face. "But then, I realized that, since you were only missing, there was still a chance for you to still be alive, even if it was small. And that was all I needed."

Tenten gently pulled down on his head, bending his neck until their lips finally met. It was a slow burn, low and hot and passionate. Naruto wrapped his arms around her, melding their bodies together almost completely as they kissed.

Minutes later, they finally separated.

Tenten rested her head on his chest, hiding her face from view. He could feel small shakes traveling through her body as her fingers gripped the back of his neck.

"You were my first friend," She said shakily. "The first person to make me feel real after my mom died. My first crush. My first kiss. My first love."

Tenten laughed lowly and brushed her face against his neck. "I say 'first'…but I mean 'only'…there hasn't ever been anyone that I've ever thought of being with besides you, Naruto."

She looked up, tears running down her face. "I know I'll never be your 'only one', but I don't care. I don't care what place I have in your heart, Naruto, as long as I'm there. I don't care about who comes along, who you sleep with, who you love, as-long-as-i-am-there. So please…"

Tears streamed from her eyes as sobs began to wrack her frame. "Please…please don't leave me…please, please stay with me…please…tell me you love me…because I love you…so, so much…don't leave me…"

Naruto reached down and lifted her chin, pressing his lips to hers. She crushed her body to his, desperation leaking through the kiss, her need for him and his love palpable in the air.

"Tenten…" He whispered as they parted again. "I'll never leave you…never. I promise. And you know that I never break a promise."

She didn't reply, only throwing herself back on him and kissing him fiercely. He stumbled back as she furiously tangled tongues with him.

They broke apart as Tenten pushed his jacket along with the bow to the floor, followed by her apron, her shirt and the bindings she kept wrapped around her chest. They were both naked from the waist up.

Tenten panted as he clasped his hands on her rear and pulled her up, locking her legs around his waist and meeting him halfway in another sloppy kiss.

Naruto set her on a nearby bench, brushing the tools on the surface away. He left her lips and attached his to the underside of her ear and sucked lightly, nipping at her earlobe with his sharp teeth.

She could feel the hard length of his arousal press against the fork of her legs, and Tenten gasped as pressure began to grow inside her. She moaned as Naruto moved down to her neck, his long and rough tongue licking over the pulse points in her throat.

Her legs tightened around him, pressing him closer to her. A low, throaty moan escaped her mouth as Naruto went lower, lavishing attention on the valley of her breasts, licking over the meat of the nicely-sized orb before attaching to her left nipple.

Naruto had her nipple in his mouth and was gently sucking and nipping at it, feeling the pressure in his abdomen growing as their cores rubbed together through their pants.

Their hips moved slowly in concert as pleasure built between them, until it reached the boiling point.

Tenten threw her head back, releasing a long, pleasured groan that was cut off as Naruto grabbed her head and pulled her down to kiss him as they both finally came.

Her eyes were closed as the tide broke inside them, washing over them in a wave of pleasure.

As they came down, Naruto was moving back down to her chest when Tenten let out a strangled mix between a moan and gasp of shock that sounded like 'Hurk'.

Whipping around, Naruto could see why.

Standing inside the door to the forge was his sensei, Yuugao Uzuki. Her eye was twitching slightly with a small line of red crossing her cheeks with her arms crossed over her chest with the paw-print tattoo standing out on her pale skin.

"Ahem." She coughed into her hand, a look of irritation on her face. "Naruto, we have a mission. I don't know what it is yet, but we shouldn't be gone for more than a day. Meet me outside when you're…finished."

The sentence finished with a tinge of distaste as Yuugao exited the building, stepping over the still-sleeping form of Tentechi.

Naruto and Tenten traded embarrassed looks before looking away. "I-I should go take a shower…" She muttered, grabbing her shirt and slipping it back on as Naruto snagged his coat.

"Wait a second." He said, laying a hand on Tenten's shoulder.

He held the Ebony Longbow out to her. She looked down at the weapon and back up to Naruto in shock. "Why do you want me to have this?" She asked lowly.

"During my time away, I got another bow, a powerful, enchanted bow that used to belong to the Lord of Huntsmen."

"Hircine?" Tenten questioned, her face scrunched up cutely.

He nodded. "Yeah, him. He gave me a bow, and I want you to have this one. It's the first weapon we ever made together, and I've always thought of you when I used it. I want you to do the same for me."

Tenten took the bow and stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to Naruto's lips. "I will."

She walked off with the bow pressed to her chest as Naruto went out the back door and cleaned himself off with the hose.

He joined his sensei at the front and they took off, running for the Hokage Tower, both quietly thinking to themselves.

Yuugao found herself both irritated and jealous for reasons she couldn't figure out, with the image of her student and his friend locked in a passionate embrace being the thing that kick-started her frustration and envy.

But why?

Naruto couldn't stop thinking of the words that Tenten had said to him, and couldn't help but feel like a bastard. She had poured her heart out to him, made it known that she only wanted him to love her, so badly that she cried her heart out for him.

And he felt guilty. She didn't care if he was intimate with other women as long as he loved her, and he did, but Naruto felt that Tenten deserved more than someone who was basically forced to love more than one woman.

At first, he thought he should blame both the Clan Creation Act and himself, but with Dibella's interference becoming known to him, he now knew what had driven him to develop feelings for so many.

He felt sorry for Dibella, he honestly did, but her manipulations of his mind in the womb had caused him more than a fair share of trouble, and he was not happy with the Goddess of Beauty.

They arrived at the Tower to find their teammates at the Missions Office, standing at the ready in front of the Hokage. Naruto took his place between the two blondes formerly of Kumo with a smile directed at them and the aged Hokage behind the desk.

"Good afternoon, Team Yuugao. I have a mission for you. It's a simple C-Rank to the town of Machi." He blew out a smoke ring and casually tossed a sealed scroll to Yuugao. "Deliver the document to the client and get his signature. That is all, you are dismissed."

The team jumped out of the window, and the Sandaime leaned back with a smirk on his face. He tapped the bowl of his pipe against the side of the desk to empty it and brought out a tin of his 'special' tobacco, stuffing his pipe with the herb and lighting it with a small puff of fire.

"You know, this could be misconstrued as favoritism." Koharu said quietly, sipping a cup of tea.

The older man shrugged carelessly and took a long pull of his pipe. "I don't care, Koharu. I'm an old man, the opinions of the others shouldn't really matter to me. I am sixty, after all." He blew out the smoke and sipped his own cup. "Plus, I'm the Hokage. I can do what I want with my ninja."

The old lady let it go and held her hand out for the pipe. "Can pass that? My hip's been acting up again."

"Don't take all of it again, Koharu, or I'll have Konohamaru steal your prunes."

…

…

As jumped through the trees to the east gate, Naruto suddenly stopped. "Hey sensei, can we stop off somewhere quickly?"

Yuugao looked back at him and nodded. "Machi isn't too far from here, only about seven hours. Sure."

He nodded to his sensei and dropped out of the tree in front of the Hyuuga Compound. The guards at the gate nodded to him and let him pass unhindered, and he strode through the garden, looking for two particular Hyuuga.

They would either be training or eating lunch at this time of day, so the dining room was his first stop. Inside, he found the two Hyuuga heads sitting at the table as their daughters chatted happily.

They turned to look at the opening door, two pairs of lavender-tinted white eyes widened as they saw the visage of their crush in the doorway.

Twin cries of "Naruto!" sounded out as Hinata and Hanabi very quickly and very primly jogged around the table to tackle the Dragon man to the floor.

The brown-haired sister was squeezing tightly on his neck as she chattered about how happy she was and the things that had happened to her while he was gone and questions about the things that had happened to him while he was gone.

Hinata had her face pressed into his chest to hide the blush on her face as she attempted to squeeze the air out of his lungs.

Naruto hugged them back as Hanabi finally ran out of air. "It's good to see you two again, I missed you."

The purple-haired sister looked up at him with a radiant smile and spoke. "Naruto, now that you're back, will you take me out on a date?"

Hanabi glared at her sister before she grabbed Naruto's head and pressed it into her modest chest. "No, he's going to take me on a date first!"

Hinata frowned at her sister. "That's not fair, I asked him first."

Naruto spoke from his cage of breasts. "She did ask me first."

The slightly younger sister pushed away from Naruto and pouted, crossing her arms, mumbling to herself. "Stupid nee-chan, asking first, stupid Naruto for accepting…"

He chuckled and sat up, putting an arm over her shoulder, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry about it, Hanabi-chan, I'll take you on a date after, okay?"

Hanabi nodded and giggled girlishly with a blush on her face.

Hinata sat next to Naruto and looked at him with wide, watery eyes. "Can I have a kiss too?" She asked, trying to ignore the blood rushing to her face.

Naruto smiled and kissed her cheek too. She leaned over and put her head against the table, trying to avoid having people see her steaming, love-struck face.

Hiashi looked at his brother and quirked an eyebrow challengingly. In response, his twin pointed at Nejiko and Naruto, who were hugging as the Branch Hyuuga lovingly pecked his cheeks.

Hiashi looked back and narrowed his eyes, pointing to his daughters. "I have the advantage."

Hizashi smirked and turned his nose up at his brother. "So you say."

The Hyuuga Head gave his brother the finger under the table and turned a welcoming smile to Naruto. "Naruto, welcome back to Konoha. Please, join us for lunch. You can sit next to my daughters."

"Dear brother, the table would be even if he sat next to my daughter. Please, Naruto, have a seat next to Nejiko-chan." Hizashi said, shooting his brother a triumphant look.

Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, but I can't. I have a mission to go on."

The two sisters looked up at the shinobi with angry looks in their eyes, not directed at him, but at the Hokage. "What?!" They shrieked in concert. "You just got back!"

Hiashi nodded in agreement. "My beautiful and passionate daughters have a point, Naruto. This is rather unusual."

Nejiko looked at Naruto. "It's not a very long mission, is it?"

Hizashi looked to the Dragon Shinobi. "My skilled and pretty daughter also has a point, Naruto. Is it a long mission?"

He shook his head. "No, I should be back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Nejiko glanced searchingly at her father and mouthed, 'What are you doing?'

Her father pointed at himself, then her, then Naruto. 'I'm trying to set you up.'

A look of realization dawned on her face and she nodded, giving her father a discreet thumbs' up.

"I'm sorry I can't stay." Naruto apologized. "Perhaps I can come by for lunch tomorrow?"

"That would be just fine." Both brothers answered in concert, before shooting each other an irritated look.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the brothers and made to leave. "Alright, I'll see you later. Hinata-chan, does two days from now work for our date?"

The purple-haired sister nodded eagerly and blew a kiss to him, blushing all the while. Hanabi frowned slightly but also blew a kiss at her crush as he left.

As Naruto made his way to the entrance of the compound, he nearly ran into Shino as she walked through the garden. "Shino!" He said loudly, engulfing the kunoichi in a hug. "I'm sorry, but I've really got to go. When I come back, let's meet up so we can get to know each other better!"

He swore he could see a streak of red cross her cheeks, but it was hidden as she pulled her collar up. "I would like that." She mumbled.

"Great!" He let her go and pecked her temple in a friendly manner.

Naruto joined up with the rest of his team, unaware that Shino had fainted after his gesture.

They signed out at the gate and dashed into the trees, running easily across the branches like a paved street.

For hours, they ran, stopping only twice for quick breaks.

Finally, as the sun began to descend, they made it Machi, a small town in the middle of a large clearing.

Yuugao pulled out the scroll and looked at the recipient, scowling at the name she found. "What is it, sensei?" Yugito asked, seeing the foul look on the former ANBU's face.

"The person we're supposed to deliver this to is Jiraiya of the Sannin." She said grudgingly.

Samui cocked an eyebrow in question. "Is that bad?"

Yuugao sighed and put the scroll away. "For us, the ladies, yes." Saying that, she zipped up her vest, covering her chest. You might want to cover up, Samui."

The cool kunoichi blinked. "I didn't bring any extra clothing."

Naruto slipped off his leather jacket and held it out for Samui. "Here, use this."

Samui blushed almost invisibly and slipped the jacket on, zipping it up to her throat, "Thanks. You haven't said why, sensei."

The purple jonin crossed her arms and huffed. "He's a pervert who peeks on women to get 'inspiration' for his series, Icha-Icha."

Yugito froze for a second but kept walking, vowing to burn the copy she had at home at her first chance. It wasn't because it was a lewd book, it was because it was inspired by an invasion of privacy. And that was just wrong.

True to her word, the team found a man with long grey hair in a spiky ponytail in kabuki clothes peeking through a hole in the wall surrounding a women's hotspring, giggling quietly to himself and scratching notes down on a pad of paper.

Simultaneously, all three women felt violated. Naruto was confused. Perhaps it was because he had basically grown up with women, but the peeking this man was doing just seemed odd. Why peek when you can get a woman and see everything during sex?

"Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Yuugao asked in tense tone of voice.

He whipped around, stuffing his notebook away. "Oh hey ladies, I was just checking the integrity of this fence!"

Yuugao scoffed. "The wall has about as much integrity as you do." She whispered to herself.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and winked. "You must be really lucky, having three babes on your team."

Naruto blinked at the angry yelling coming from the Kyuubi in his head. Seems that she really values privacy. "And you're a pervert."

The older man scoffed and started hopping on one foot, wiggling his fingers. "I'm not _just_ a pervert, I am a S-"

The scroll bounced off his head, interrupting him mid-yell. "The Hokage sent us to deliver this document to you." Yuugao said with irritation.

The pervert rubbed his forehead and opened the scroll, looking over whatever was there and nodding, before writing something down and handing it to Naruto. The younger shinobi rolled the scroll open discreetly and peeked at the information there.

_Hi._

_Hiruzen Sarutobi._

_What up?_

_Jiraiya._

"Well now, now that you're mission is accomplished, why don't-"

"No." The jonin cut him off, motioning to her team, and they ran off.

"Well fine then." Jiraiya muttered to himself, turning back to the hole in the wall.

A blue fireball streaked from nowhere and smacked into his ass, lighting his pants on fire, making him jump into the nearest source of water, which just happened to be the hotsprings, still full of ladies.

When he surfaced, Jiraiya found himself menaced by several weapons, all held by angry women. "Well, hello, ladies-ow!"

…

A couple of hours later, the sun had set, and Team Yuugao had set up camp for the night. After eating a meal of hunted rabbits, Yugito settled into watch, and the others had gone to bed.

Peeking out of her tent, Samui looked at her sister and waited for her to look out over the trees before slinking into Naruto's tent, leaving a water clone formed from the contents of a water bottle to take her watch when Yugito was done with hers.

She closed Naruto's tent and crawled over the still form of her fiancée until she was straddling him.

His eyes flicked open, a question on his lips that was silenced as she closed her lips on his.

When they parted, Naruto asked quietly, "Samui, what are you doing?"

She pecked him again and reached for the hem of her shirt. "I want you, so badly Naruto, I can't wait any longer."

With that said, Samui pulled her shirt over her head and discarded the article of clothing, showing the light blue bra that encased her large chest, which was also quickly dropped to the ground.

Naruto knew she wouldn't be talked out of this, and he didn't want to talk her out of it, so he quickly shimmied out of his pants and helped Samui do the same. Quickly, he cast a spell that caused a muffled pop to sound in her ears, and at her questioning look, he explained. "Muffling spell, so no one can hear us."

She smiled and pressed herself against him, trapping his arousal between her thighs so that it rubbed against her core as her tongue played with his. One of Naruto's hands descended down her back and landed on one of her cheeks, kneading the muscled flesh there, getting a groan of approval from Samui.

Suddenly, he flipped them over so that he was on top, pinning her to the floor with his body, licking and nipping her neck and kneading her breasts with his hands. He moved down and began to suckle at her nipples, massaging the one he wasn't laying attention on.

Samui moaned at his actions and reached a hand down between them to grab and stroke his arousal, rubbing it from base to tip and back again.

Naruto made to move farther downward, but she grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. "Not tonight…" She panted, "Next time, definitely, but tonight, I only want you inside of me."

He nodded and moved back up to kiss her, rubbing the tip of his length against the wet lips of her slit. Slowly, he pushed in, groaning at the hot furnace that was squeezing so tightly around him.

Samui grunted in discomfort at the sudden filling and stretching but waited until he was reaching fully inside her to start moving. Almost immediately, pleasure burned in her like an inferno, making her sweat and gasp at the sensations of losing her virginity.

Aware of her it being her first time, Naruto moved slowly, slipping in and out of her core at a modest pace, letting the feelings wash over him.

Samui's hands clenched and her fingers dug into his back as a coil began to tighten inside of her. "N-Naruto! I-I-I'm-"

She let loose a wail of pleasure as she almost impossibly tightened even further around him. Naruto thrust himself even deeper and let the tide wash over him as he came inside of the blonde kunoichi.

Samui slumped under him, sweaty and panting, pleasured but nowhere near fulfilled. She pushed Naruto off of her and turned around, presenting herself for him to mount. "I've dreamed about doing this with you. Please, fulfill my fantasy."

Naruto responded by lining up and slipping back inside of her, making the newly-deflowered kunoichi groan in ecstasy.

Now that she was more used to the sensations, Samui urged to shinobi she was to be married to go faster.

The sounds of flesh slapping against flesh echoed inside the tent, and not outside of it due to Naruto's spell.

Naruto reached down and pulled her flush against his chest, their intermingling sweat causing sliding over their skin. The new angle meant shorter thrusts, but with even more prodding of her special spots. Samui leaned her head back and kissed him as his hands began to fondle her breasts, tweaking the nipples and massaging the flesh of her breasts.

Samui parted her lips from Naruto's and laid her head on his shoulder, blonde hair plastered to her forehead, mouth open and gasping, "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

Her hands reached back unconsciously and gripped his neck and she came once more, joined by her lover as her fluids leaked from between her legs, joined by his own to pool on the floor.

They both slumped forward, panting heavily. Weakly, Samui pushed him down and sat on top of him, his length penetrating deeply into her, and began to move slowly. "One more," She panted between deep breaths. "Just one more…"

She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself up, then dropping down, crying out each time. Naruto reached down and grasped her hips, helping her lift and drop, lift and drop.

They got slower as time went on, and their strength began to fade. Samui desperately but all of her remaining strength into moving, and just before her legs gave out, she pushed herself almost fully off and dropped down, screaming as her final orgasm reached the peak, feeling the white hot spray of her lover's orgasm inside of her.

She collapsed on his chest, arms weak and eyes drooping from exhaustion. "That…that was amazing…" Samui managed to say as the world was fading fast.

Naruto nodded in agreement and leaned down, placing a soft kiss her lips before she fell asleep, a small, satisfied smile on her face. He pulled his blanket halfway over them and wrapped his arms around his lover, joining her in sleep.

…

In the Raikage Tower in Kumogakure, the heavily muscled Raikage looked up from his desk with an odd look twisting his features. "I suddenly want to murder someone brutally. Why?"

Outside of his office, his assistant heard his grumbling through the door. She glanced down at the stack of files in her arms and decided that caution was the right decision, leaving the stack at her desk and checking out for the night.

…

…

…

**A/N: And that's that, chapter 9 of Jinchuriki of the World-Eater. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**So, the situation with Ino and Sakura is an example of my 'Harem Ideal', in that not every woman loves the protagonist, some are simply there for the sex. I also wanted to show that being the center of a Harem shouldn't be easy for anyone, not the main person and not the outlying people either, hence the feelings of guilt and self-loathing Naruto feels towards himself and Dibella.**

**Having to love multiple women isn't just a blessing, it can be a curse as well.**

**Okay, so the citrus content was good, hopefully? All the sexual stuff I write, I do my best to avoid what I call 'fuck words', like 'dick' or 'pussy' or 'cunt' or 'cock', because that's not used in tender love-making scenes, those are words for fucking.**

**I remember reading a couple of stories who's author was writing what supposed to be a tender first time love-making scene, and then two sentences had them shout 'Yeah, suck my fucking cock you whore!' or 'Ram my pussy with that massive prick!' and I just couldn't envision it as tender at all.**

**I have three levels of physical intimacy that involve full penetration:**

**1. Fucking: Wild sex for the pleasure of body.**

**2. Sex: There's something there, but the physical is all that matters right now.**

**3. Making Love: It's all about what you feel, mind and body. No words need to be said, no positions need to be changed, it's just you and them and nothing and no one else.**

***Sigh*, I hate it when I rant about stuff.**

**Anyway, if you want to see more of my rants or just chat, hit me up at my blog, Soleneus . blogspot . com**

**Read, Review and Enjoy!**

**Stay Awesome!**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: The next chapter, we go to Kumogakure, and the first and second parts of the Chunin Exam. I hope it doesn't take too long to get out, but let's be realistic here, it's me.**

**Stay Awesome Some More!**

**~still Soleneus**


	10. The Summer Festival

**Chapter 10: The Summer Festival**

**Seriously, I didn't mean to write this much about this. I swear, next chapter is definitely Kumo and the Chunin Exams, for real.**

Breakfast that morning was quiet. No one had much to say, for their own reasons. Samui and Naruto had been woken up rather early by her water clone dispelling on top of them after finishing the watch, drenching both in ice cold water.

He had sent her back to her tent after a few healing spells to get a couple more hours of sleep as he took the final watch, then started on breakfast.

Yugito was silent because of the pheromones wafting off of her fellow jinchuriki. The scent coming off of Naruto was liable to drive her crazy. And horny. Crazy-horny. Either she would need to take care of it herself, or get him to take care of her. The latter was preferable, except that she'd prefer her first time to be gentle, and not the wild ride she was envisioning. The Nibi's comments really weren't helping.

Yuugao was irritated. She didn't really know why, but it was niggling at the back of her mind as she observed Naruto and Samui sitting closer than they had the previous night. It wasn't much, just an inch or so, but the way they leaned near each other spoke of previous intimacy, something that hadn't been present last night. And if they had indeed had sex, then she would have heard it, except that she didn't hear a thing coming from Naruto's tent.

She was pissed off, and she didn't know why.

Camp was deconstructed and packed away within minutes, and the team was in the trees, heading towards Konoha.

"Hey sensei," Samui spoke up, "You seemed to really dislike Jiraiya yesterday. Why?"

The purple-haired woman gritted her teeth, her student's presence grating on her nerves for some reason. "I was walking my brother around one of the parks one day, and Jiraiya-sama saw us and misconstrued my support as a loving embrace, and proceeded to ask my brother how good I was in the sack."

Naruto snorted. "I doubt Hayate-sensei took that very well."

Yuugao smirked slightly to herself. Her brother did not take the insinuation very well. "He whipped out his katana and chased Jiraiya-sama around the park for about an hour and cut off most of his pony-tail. He's always been protective of me, even with his failing health."

Yugito twitched as Naruto moved up next to her. She bent and quickly snatched up a pair of lavender shoots and shoved them up her nose, and asked her sensei a question to keep herself distracted. "Sensei, I've always wondered, how is it that you and Hayate are brother and sister? You don't really look alike."

Their sensei glanced back at her student's nasally voice, but continued running and speaking. "We have different fathers. Same mother, different father. Hayate is about a year older than me, and his father got our mother pregnant before the Second War and died during the first skirmishes. After Hayate was born, my mother found another husband became pregnant with me."

She ducked under a low branch and tapped her nose. "My brother and I don't look alike, except for our noses. We both have our mother's nose. Sadly, Hayate's father had a genetic disease that skipped a generation, Decaying Lung Disease, and it's getting really bad. It was good for me because my father didn't have it and I've been healthy my whole life, and I've taken care of my brother ever since it started showing."

They were silent for about an hour before Samui spoke up once more. "I've always wondered, sensei, why do the Hyuuga all look alike? Are they incestuous?"

Yuugao skipped over a broken branch and sighed. "No, they're not incestuous, though it may seem so. The Hyuuga Clan has another branch in the Capital of Hi no Kuni, except that they're civilians with no ability to utilize chakra or the Byakugan. They get brought into the main clan every once in awhile to 'spruce-up' the bloodline without ill effects for the children, as the two clans are distant cousins at best. Otherwise, most Hyuuga marry those with brown or black hair as part of tradition, keeping the look without the incest."

Naruto chipped in. "Hinata and Hanabi's mother is actually from the Capital clan. Hinata got her violet hair, and both got her lavender-tinted eyes."

Their sensei nodded. "Right. Incest, while not unusual, is not exactly common, only with the larger clans. The best example would be the Uzumaki, actually."

The two blondes looked to Naruto with questioning glances. He shrugged in return. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Iwa used to have a clan of Lava-style users that were killed off in the Second War. Before that, a branch of the clan moved to Uzushio and interbred with the Uzumaki, giving rise to the Terumi." Yuugao explained as the Hokage Monument came into view. "The two clans were cousins, and they typically had children with each other. On the Uzumaki side, it was optional, as the red hair typical of the clan is a dominant gene. On the Terumi side, the two different bloodlines intermixed oddly in the children, resulting in kids who could use Lava-style, and with the Uzumaki genes and preference for Suiton jutsu, Boil-style, which could create acid."

She jumped from the trees and dropped to the road, finishing off the trip with a walk to east gates of Konoha. "However, it also caused their chakra to only be compatible with Uzumaki chakra. As you know, chakra permeates the whole body, and is concentrated in the tenketsu. When a Terumi attempted to be intimate with a non-Uzumaki or a non-Terumi, their chakra would react and make any liquid into potent acid. That included sweat, saliva, tears and blood, any liquid naturally produced by the body."

Yuugao cracked her neck and adjusted the sword on her back. "So basically, the Terumi had no choice. It doesn't really matter now, as with the Uzumaki, they were wiped out in the Second war."

Naruto sighed and scratched at the back of his head. _Not all of them, sensei, not all of them._

Samui cleared her throat. "I only really wanted to know about the Hyuuga, sensei."

Yuugao shook her head and sighed.

Team Yuugao arrived at the gate within minutes to find the two gate guards asleep. Izumo had his legs kicked up on the table, leaning his chair back on two legs and snoring loudly. Kotetsu had slumped over, resting his forehead on the table, also snoring.

The team exchanged amused glances before Yugito walked forward and kicked the table.

Izumo lost his balance and tumbled on to the floor with a surprised yelp while Kotetsu jumped up, holding his forehead in pain.

They didn't bother to hold in their snickers at the two chunins' misfortune. The one with bandage over his nose scowled at them. "Don't you know it's bad luck to a wake a sleeping man?"

Samui scoffed. "Not when they're sleeping on the job."

He grumbled and pushed the log book at them and sat down with his arms crossed and was shortly joined by his compatriot after he set his chair right.

After they signed in, Team Yuugao headed towards the Hokage tower to turn in their mission. The office wasn't very busy at that time of morning, only the veteran ninja taking missions with sun so low.

"Ah, Team Yuugao, welcome back. I trust your mission was successful?" The Sandaime greeted them genially, a cup of strong tea in one hand.

The purple-haired jonin nodded and handed the scroll to the old man. He rolled the scroll open and nodded, before tossing the scroll in the trash. "Congratulations, you now have enough missions to be in Chunin Exams. They're taking place in Kumo this year."

Yugito and Samui traded excited looks, then looked to their sensei and their other teammate. A silent conversation took place over the next minute, wherein they debated if they were ready. Simultaneously, they all nodded and turned back to the Hokage, who already had three slips of paper for them to sign held out towards them.

The genin took the forms and read over the information before signing it and handing them back.

As if he was prepared for this, the Sandaime filed the forms away and smiled at Team Yuugao. "The caravan heading to Kaminari no Kuni leaves in a week, so train and gather the equipment you think you'll need. Good luck."

After they stepped out of the office, Naruto turned to the blonde sisters. "I'm going to go see Hayate-sensei at the hospital. Do you girls want to come along?"

Yugito shook her head, before reaching up and pecking Naruto's cheek. "I've got something to do, but maybe next time."

As she jumped off, Samui wrapped her arms around him. "I'm still tired," _from last night_ went unsaid, "So another time, okay, Naruto-kun?"

She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. Yuugao rolled her eyes. "I'll be at the hospital." She said shortly and left.

As they separated, a thought struck Naruto. "Samui, after last night…are you safe?"

Samui smiled and nodded. "Yes. I performed the jutsu before I came into your tent last night, so don't worry, no kids on the way yet."

He sighed in relief and kissed her once more. "I'll see you later, okay?"

The blonde kunoichi waved to him as he left, her mind turning to thoughts of last night. _No kids yet, Naruto-kun, but in the future…_

An image came to life in her mind's eye, that of her, an older, more mature version of herself, sitting in the lap of an older Naruto as kids with light blonde hair and blue and red eyes rough-housed in the grass.

She smiled to herself and made for their home. _I'm glad you and I can build a future together, Naruto._

…

At the hospital, in room 422, Naruto sat next to his sensei, while also sitting next to his other senseis' bed.

Hayate Gekko, at one point, had been a healthy, if lean, swordsman. These days, however, his disease had ravaged his body, turning his skin from a light tan to a sickly pallor, the constant coughing that kept him from sleeping causing heavy bags to develop under his eyes. The past years of lying in bed had also affected his strength, making him lose weight; so much that he had become unhealthily thin.

"I'm so glad you decided to visit me, Naruto-kun." Hayate smiled at his one-time kenjutsu student, before he began hacking painfully.

Naruto grabbed the man's arm and channeled a pain-relieving spell into his body, causing the retired jonin to grin at him. "Thank you." He said, patting the Dragon man's hand. "I must admit, I panicked a bit when heard that you had gone missing, Naruto-kun. But I knew that you wouldn't die from a simple tumble in a river. I trained you better than that."

Yuugao patted her brother's leg. "How are you feeling, Hayate-kun?"

The sickly man winked at them. "Better, now that I have my family here. The healing spell also helps." A coughing fit took over before he could say more. "Excuse me. Yuugao-nee, can you get a pot of tea for me?"

The former ANBU nodded and walked out of the room quickly, already knowing where to get tea after months of doing the same task.

With her gone, Hayate's grip on Naruto's arm tightened. "Naruto-kun, listen closely to what I have to say. We only have a few minutes before Yuugao comes back, so don't speak, okay?"

Confused, Naruto nonetheless nodded. "Listen, Naruto, I know that I'm going to die soon, I feel it." He pointed a stern finger in Naruto's face when he saw the man's mouth open. "What did I say? Now, don't try to rebuke me, Naruto-kun, a man knows when he's on the last legs of his life. There's something I want you to do for me. Will you agree to it?"

The blond genin nodded quickly, not even hesitating for a second. "Good man. Now, I want you to take care of Yuugao-nee for me, okay?"

Naruto snorted before he could stop himself. "Shouldn't it be the other way around? She is a jonin."

He balked as Hayate bonked him over the head lightly. "It should be the other way, true, but Yuugao isn't a dragon, Naruto. The second thing, you must find someone to pass on my Dance of the Crescent Moon style. Someone who will do it justice. And when you find them, give them my katana. Can you do this for me, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded, tightly clasping one of the dying man's hands. "I swear, I will do these things for you."

Hayate gave a genuine smile and leaned back onto his pillows. "Then I can die a happy man. I don't have much time, but I'm glad to see you again, my student."

"Me too, sensei, me too."

Yuugao came back in with a pot of tea and a cup on a tray. "Hayate-kun, I'm back."

The sickly man smiled at his sister. "Thank you, Yuugao-nee."

As he slowly imbibed the hot contents of the cup, Naruto snuck a glance at his sensei to see a small tear trail from one of her eyes. Quietly, he reached over and took one of her hands in his.

The jonin quickly wiped the tear away and gave Naruto a sad but thankful smile.

…

Hours later, it was time for Naruto's lunch date with the Hyuuga. The guards let him pass without trouble, and he strode through the garden, taking in the smells of the various plants growing in the soil.

He arrived at the dining room, only to find it empty. The kitchen was similarly vacant.

Moving through the compound, Naruto waved to the Hyuuga who passed him by. Stopping at the Clan Head's Office, he slid the door open a bit and peeked in. The two twin's, Hiashi and Hizashi, were staring at each angrily, shoulders tense.

Suddenly, they burst into action!

"Jan-ken-pon!" They both shouted, slamming their hands on the table, oddly kicking up a large amount of dust.

When the cloud faded, it revealed Hiashi with Rock, and Hizashi with Paper.

"Dammit!" Hiashi shouted, hands over his face.

His twin pointed at him triumphantly, a wide grin on his face. "Ha! I win again! That means I get the personal hot-tub for me and the wife tonight! Suck it, 'older and better twin'!"

Naruto quietly closed the door and left, vowing to make fun of the two clan heads when he could. He made his way down to the training ground, hearing two female voices shouting and the sounds of flesh impacting flesh.

He opened the door and saw the twin daughters of Hiashi going at each other in a spar. Both were using their personal styles based on the Jyuuken.

Hanabi's style was based strongly the source material, but with added kicks, mainly side- and straight-kicks. The brown-haired twin could channel chakra to her feet better than anyone in recent history, besides Might Guy. If the pokes and jabs of the Gentle Fist was the scalpel, the harsh kicks and brutal chakra injection of Hanabi's Rough Leg was the cleaver.

Hinata, conversely, had leaned more on Tae-Kwon-Do, flowing around her twin's straight attacks to rain light blows down on her.

If Hanabi's Rough Leg was scary, Hinata's Incoming Tide was downright terrifying. Using the flowing, liquid-state movement of Tae-Kwon-Do, mixed with the debilitating jabs of the Jyuuken, the violet-haired twin focused on avoiding incoming attacks until her opponent was tired, and then, while they could barely defend themselves, she would unleash a barrage of rapid strikes, sealing tenketsu and damaging organs until her opponents' body shut down.

"Dammit, stop dodging!" Hanabi shouted in frustration as her sister spun around her kick. She would usually keep a level head in battle, but Hinata was dodging with her eyes closed and a serene expression on her face, because she knew it would piss Hanabi off. "This was supposed to be a straight Jyuuken spar, cheater!"

Hinata calmly weaved between jabs and kicks from her twin. "It was supposed to be, before kicked me in the stomach." Her eyes snapped open, a dead-pan look on her face.

Hanabi sent a side-kick straight at her face, but the older twin flowed around it and disabled her leg with a tap on the joint, spinning around a jab and poking the younger twin on the forehead. "You're dead, I win."

The younger twin growled angrily, and Hinata pulled her fingers back and jabbed Hanabi's forehead. "If this is about my date with Naruto, then stop it. You know he would do anything to make us happy."

Hanabi rubbed her head, glaring at her twin. "So you say, but you have the first date, during the Summer Festival, too!" Her eyes flickered over Hinata's shoulder and saw Naruto, a small, mischievous grin coming over her face. "Besides, if he really wanted to make us happy, he would throw us down and make us his women. Or is that just in your dreams, sister?"

Naruto felt heat creeping up into his cheeks at the blunt statement from Hanabi, but that was nothing on the full redness suffusing Hinata's face. "Wha-what?!" She shouted in embarrassment. "Don't s-say such things!"

Lavender-tinted eyes glimmered as Hanabi moved closer to her sister. "Oh really? So, I don't hear you shouting Naruto's name into your pillow every night, or hear you moan in the bath tub? So I'm just imaging all the times I've caught you with his picture, mast-"

"Okay!" Naruto shouted, making his presence known. "I'm here, let's have lunch!"

Hinata spun around, and upon seeing the person of her affections, who had just heard that she had lewd dreams about him was too much for the older twin. Not to mention, her sparring clothes, consisting of a tight tank-top and skin-hugging shorts, did not hide any of her figure. For the first time in nearly four years, Hinata fainted, collapsing to the ground bonelessly.

Hanabi crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "Serves her right."

She shivered as Naruto blew a light Frost Breath at her. "Cool down, Firecracker." He said, trying to kill the blush on his face with the use of her childish nickname.

The younger twin glared at him and then turned away with huff, her cheeks bulging out childishly as she pouted. Naruto rolled his eyes and stepped closer, grabbing her chin and turning her face to him and laid a kiss on her.

Hanabi froze at the sudden sensations, eyes wide and unblinking, a red flush creeping over her face. Her hands came up to wrap around his neck, but he pulled away with a smirk.

"There," He said to the shocked Hyuuga. "Hinata gets the first date, and you get the first kiss."

Naruto smiled at her wide eyes and picked up the older twin and left the unresponsive Hanabi behind.

Seconds passed before she blinked rapidly, brain rebooting. "Wait, what happened?" she asked herself before touching her lips as the memory came back and a blush lit up her face. "That handsome asshole." Hanabi muttered quietly as a loving smile crossed, and she headed for her room to clean up for lunch.

Naruto tried to set Hinata on her bed, but the violet-haired kunoichi had arms tight around his neck and wouldn't let go. He tilted her in his arms and blew gently into her right ear. Hinata gave a muffled grunt and rubbed at her ear, and Naruto set her on the bed.

With her heat source gone, the Hyuuga heiress frowned cutely and waved her arms, searching for Naruto.

He smiled at how cute Hinata could be and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Hinata…wake up…wake up, Hinata."

Hinata squirmed in bed, her eyes fluttering half-way open. "Mmm…Naruto-kun…I had a nightmare…I beat Hanabi in a spar…and she revealed that I mast-"

"Not a dream, sweetheart."

Her eyes shot open in panic, locking onto Naruto's visage as a wave of red rolled over her face and her eyelids fluttered, threatening to faint again.

"Hinata, faint and I'm putting an ice cube down your pants again." That made her wake up. Realizing that she was nearly naked in front of her crush, Hinata rolled off her bed with her blankets wrapped tightly around her.

"Don't look at me, I'm indecent!" She squeaked, muffled by the bedding.

Naruto sighed in amusement at her shyness. "I thought we broke you of this?"

Trying to make Hinata less shy had taken many years and twice as many ice cubes. Whenever she fainted, either Hanabi or Naruto would put an ice cube down her pants, which would make Hinata jump around because of the sudden cold down there. To break her shyness, Naruto would jump out of hiding places and ambush her with sudden hugs, and if she fainted, ice cubes in the underwear.

It had taken a lot of effort, but they had succeeded.

Hinata poked her head up over the edge of her bed, blanket still firmly cocooning her body below her chin. "I mean, can you please leave so I can change? Thank you."

Naruto smiled and poked her nose. "Aw, who's a cute little caterpillar? I'll go make lunch, you just clean up, alright, Hinata-chan?"

She blushed at his calling her cute and ducked back under the bed, waiting for him to leave.

He chuckled at the older twin and left for the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, the Hyuuga family sat around the table, listening to Naruto moving about the kitchen, singing a strange song in the guttural language he primarily spoke as a child.

The doors to the kitchen swung open as Naruto pushed them with his foot, carrying two trays full of steaming bowls.

"Lunch is served!" He announced dramatically, ignoring the snickers coming from the twin clan heads. They were laughing because Naruto had an apron on, Hinata's apron. It also happened to be pink and frilly.

But Naruto would get the back. "Alright, here we go! Ramen with grilled Unagi and onion with sweet green tea for Nejiko," Nejiko licked her lips and gave Naruto an appreciative smile. "Chicken Ramen with fishcakes and iced tea for Hinata ," He gave the violet haired kunoichi a wink as she blushed at the fishcakes shaped to look like his head swimming in the broth. "Pork Ramen with cucumber and cold black tea for Hanabi," The younger heiress glared slightly at Naruto, as the cucumber slices were shaped like hearts and lips. "And Salt Ramen with extra bamboo shoots and water for Hiashi, because he is boring," The Main Branch Head gave the shinobi a bland look, then glared when he looked at his bowl and found the shoots spelled out the kanji for 'rock'. "And Salt Ramen with extra bamboo shoots and hot sauce with green tea because Hizashi is just a little less boring than Hiashi," The Branch Clan Head smiled in good humor at the jab, then did a double-take when he spotted his bamboo shoots spelling out the kanji for 'paper'. "And Beef Ramen with extra beef for me."

Naruto set the tray aside and sat next to Nejiko so the table would be even. They brought up their chopsticks and quickly said 'Itadakimasu' and dug into the food.

"So," Hiashi said between bites, "I've heard that everyone is going to the Chunin Exams in Kumo, correct?"

All of the genin nodded. "While I am glad to hear that, I know that the second part of the Exams is typically the one with the most casualties. I also know that it is a competition, where you will be competing against each other, but I want you to watch out for each other during the second part." Hiashi gave them all a stern look. "I'd like for you to all make chunin, but I'd rather have you all come back alive than to rank up. Understood?"

They nodded in assent, and the serious moment passed. "So, Naruto, what are you going to do on Hinata's date tomorrow?" Hizashi asked.

Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled. "It's the Summer Festival tomorrow, so I thought we could walk around, look at the stalls and play some of the games before eating dinner. How does that sound, Hinata-chan?"

The older heiress blushed and smiled prettily. "T-that sounds wonderful." She mumbled into her sleeve.

Hanabi sighed and rolled her eyes as Nejiko smirked lightly. _I still have the lead,_ She thought triumphantly. _I've already slept with him, sexless as it was._

Hizashi cursed in his head while Hiashi cheered for the same reason. _Hinata has the lead, which means the Hiashi is winning!_

Lunch after that was quiet, but friendly. After it ended, Naruto stood from the table and kissed Nejiko on the cheek. "This was nice. I've got some things to do, but I'm having a barbeque tonight at my place. I'd like for you guys to be there."

Hiashi nodded with a smile. "Of course." Hizashi finished his twin's sentence. "You can count on it."

The dragon man kissed both Hanabi and Hinata before leaving.

Outside of the compound, Naruto scratched at his skin, feeling lucky that he managed to hide the itchiness he had been feeling for nearly an hour. Luckily, there was place that could help with that.

…

Yugito sunk into the water of the hotspring up to her neck, sighing in relief as the scented water filled her senses. Through the day, her urges had nearly the better of her, and it was only a few good bedroom sessions that had calmed her fire down.

She came to the hotsprings to relax, and to try and focus on something else besides her fiancé.

Samui groaned as the hot water of the springs relaxed her muscles, specifically the ones in her groin. Healing spells had managed to stop her from limping, but they did nothing to relieve the soreness the previous night had granted her.

And it was totally worth it.

Neither noticed the periodic small stream of bubbles that broke the surface in the center of the bath.

The door slid open, allowing five kunoichi into the bathhouse. Tsume, Hana, Anko, Kurenai and Suzume greeted to two blonde genin and showered before sinking into the hot water.

The Inuzuka Matriarch noted that the water was a little higher than normal, but dismissed it as unimportant. "Hey girls, you know that the Konoha Kunoichi Association is meeting here today, right?"

Yugito nodded and Samui just grunted quietly in affirmation. "What's up with Big-Chested Blonde, Long-Haired Blonde?" Anko asked, using her nicknames for the two blonde genin.

Yugito opened her eyes and gave the T&I kunoichi a cat-like glare. "I don't know, Danger-Slut, why don't you ask her?"

Anko grinned and nudged Samui. "What's up with you? You look dead tired, like you…" She trailed off and took a good look at the other kunoichi. "Slight glow, tired bags under the eyes, sore crotch…you fucked Naruto, didn't you?"

Samui jumped in surprise at the deduction and avoided looking at her glaring sister. "…Yeah…" She sighed out, dunking her head under the water. "Last night."

Yugito sighed and tried to let go of the jealousy burning in her chest. _I swore I wouldn't let envy ruin our sisterhood…but I am so getting laid tonight, Naruto! You better be ready for me._

"How was it?" Suzume asked eagerly, surprising the kunoichi as 'The Virgin Prude'.

Samui blushed at the question and sunk up to her nose, refusing to answer.

Anko took over for her. "Oh man, it was sooo _good_! His tongue is all long and rough…whoo!" She shuddered at the thought. "And that package! Dragon in the sack!"

The purple-haired kunoichi glanced at her friend, expecting to see jealousy from someone so infatuated with the Dragon Shinobi, but Kurenai was actually smirking victoriously.

Tsume laughed and leaned back in the spring, thrusting her chest out. "How did you guys do, huh Samui? Did he take charge, throw you down and ravage you until you couldn't walk? Or did you rip his pants off and take charge?"

The blonde kunoichi brought her mouth out of the water and mumbled out, "Neither. It was tender."

Tsume looked up in thought. "Huh. I've never done that before. It's always fast and rough when we do it. I like it like that."

"I know, right?!" Anko agreed with a wide grin. She swam across the pool and bumped fists with the Inuzuka Matriarch. "We're Bajingo Sisters."

"I happen to like the tender sex." Kurenai commented, crossing her arms over her chest. "When it's that slow, it drives me crazy with pleasure."

Suzume sighed in disappointment. "Dammit, he keeps refusing me for some reason."

Hana cocked an eyebrow at the chunin teacher. "You only asked once."

That perked the teacher up. "You're right! I just have to keep trying, and eventually, he'll fall to my charms!"

Mikoto and Misa Haruno stepped into the pool, followed by Aela, Mira and Satsu. "And these are the hotsprings, where we can bathe communally and relax. And here are more of the Konoha Kunoichi. There's a meeting happening in a couple minutes, so let's relax and we'll introduce you to them."

The Uchiha Matriarch looked at the gathered women and smiled in greeting. "Hello, this is Aela and Mira, they're friends of Naruto's. What are you guys talking about?"

Anko spoke up with no shame. "Fucking Naruto!"

"Oh." Misa blinked. "Cool. I want to fuck him too. Let's wash up!"

Mikoto and Misa directed the two women from a different time to the showers and helped them get clean. Once they were done, they slipped into the water as well.

"Who are these two?" Suzume asked curiously.

Mikoto shook her head. "I'd rather wait until everyone's here. So, who's had sex with Naruto?"

Tsume, Anko and Kurenai raised their hands proudly. The purple-haired kunoichi jabbed Samui with her elbow, and the blond kunoichi slowly raised her hand.

"Nice." Misa commented, giving the blushing genin a thumb's-up.

The door opened again, allowing more kunoichi into the hotspring, until it was filled to capacity. Among Konoha's Kunoichi Association, there was Yoshino Nara, Cho Akimichi, Kono Yamanaka, Yuugao, Tenten, Nejiko and the Hyuuga twins with their mothers, Taiyo and Tsuki Hyuuga, the rarely seen twin wives of Hiashi and Hizashi respectively. Along with them were a few off-duty ANBU kunoichi, chunin and jonin, along with Sakura and Ino, with Suki, and Shino, who managed to get her shy friend Shiho to come along.

It was tight fit for everyone to get in the hotspring, but they were confident in their sexuality, so squeezing together in a tight space didn't bother any of them and a few enjoyed the closeness with their friends.

Mikoto managed to quiet everyone down as sake and tea was passed around. "Welcome to the 22nd meeting of the Konoha Kunoichi Association! We have two new members to introduce. Aela and Mira." She waved to the two women, and the other kunoichi clapped in welcome. "Now, we all know that Naruto went missing six months ago, and came back recently," She was interrupted by the playful cheers coming from the kunoichi.

And though many of them weren't what any would call 'girly', it was fun for them to act like it, if only for awhile. "Yes, yes, we're all very glad, but he brought Aela and Mira back with him. They were prisoners in the personal dimension of the God of the Hunt for over five thousand years."

Silence permeated the hotspring, before it was broken by Anko. "Wow. That's rough."

Several others nodded. "How'd you get out?"

Aela splashed some hot water on her face. "We had to hunt down mythical creatures that would spawn every twenty years, and take specific parts from them and perform a ritual. There were two teams, and this was explained two chapters ago, but I'll say it this time. My team wanted to be free, and the other team wanted to trap us all there. They would keep us there by destroying the items we needed and we would have to wait twenty years more to have another chance."

"What mythical creatures?" Shino asked.

Mira listed them off without having to think. "A Dire Wolf, a Minotaur, a Black Stallion, a Cyclops, a Unicorn-"

"You killed a unicorn?!" Sakura, Ino and Shiho, surprisingly, shrieked in dismay.

Aela glared at the three for shouting in an enclosed space. "We didn't actually kill it, this time. Naruto tackled it to the ground and cut the horn, the part we needed, off and let it go."

That silenced the kunoichi, who looked down with blushes at their knee-jerk reaction. "Anyway, and a White Stag. We needed parts from to do the ritual, and the others would try to hunt them down first or destroy the parts we already gathered."

Tsume spoke up. "Wait, I remember Naruto telling me that that Hunter god was fair. That doesn't seem fair to me."

Sounds of agreement came from the other kunoichi. "Well, perhaps I didn't explain that well enough. They could destroy one of the items, and it would make the creature respawn, unless they destroyed the other items as well. The pack we used to transport the stuff was also indestructible." Mira explained.

"Ah."

Misa scrunched her face in thought. "Wait, these animals don't sound very dangerous."

Aela shuddered. "The Dire Wolf was twice the size of a normal wolf and was very sneaky. It could kill three people before we even knew it was there. The Minotaur carried a large battle-axe and wore heavy armor. The Black Stallion was wicked fast, we had to guess where it would be a set up traps. The Cyclops was really big and really strong, he could rip a tree out of the ground and use it as a club. The Unicorn was also really fast, and would release a flash of light to blind us. And the White Stag could charge through solid stone with its razor sharp antlers."

Anko nodded. "That makes more sense." Pause. "Wait, if you were trapped there for five thousand years, how did you survive?"

The Nord Dragonborn tilted her head back and drained a cup of sake. "It was Hircine's dimension, he could do what he wanted, and we never aged. They're called the 'Eternal Hunting Grounds' for a reason. If we died, we were revived at our shrine at dawn on Monday."

It was silent in the springs, the sound of clinking glasses being the only break. "So, Naruto was the one to get you two free?" Sakura asked, playing with a cup of tea. At their nods, she continued. "What do you think of him?"

Mira laughed at their first meeting. "We got caught by the other team, and he broke us out. I actually threatened him with my sword when I saw him breathing fire."

This confused the kunoichi. "Why?" Mikoto questioned. "Breathing fire isn't really surprising. Most ninja can do that."

The second-to-last Nord shook her head and chuckled. "Before I went to the Hunting Grounds, I was the only person who could breathe fire, and my nemesis at the time was a black dragon with red eyes. I thought Naruto was him in human form."

Yugito perked up from her spot. "Really? So you can do the thing where you shout a word and stuff comes out of your mouth?"

Mira nodded and pointed her mouth at the sky, where a bank of gray clouds threatened to end the meeting soon. **"Lok…Vah Koor!"**

A wave of energy was spat from her mouth, banishing the clouds and bringing the sun back out.

…

In Kumo, a dark-skinned man with a cleaver-like blade and large nose looked up at the sky and smiled a little bit. "Today's not that dull."

Suddenly, the clouds came back and released a torrent of rain on the village.

"God-Dammit."

…

Mira smirked at the looks being sent her way. Under the water, something stirred at the sudden pulse of power.

"Speaking of Naruto," Misa said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she turned to her daughter. "What's this I hear about you and Ino making a move on our resident Dragon?"

Sakura blushed under the attention. Ino was not cowed, however. "We just invited him into a casual, friends-with-benefits deal, that's all."

A few kunoichi wolf-whistled and Sakura's mother giggled. "I didn't say it was a bad thing. One day he'll come around the house, looking for you, and you'll be out on a mission and I can seduce him away from you…" She trailed off with a blush.

"Mom!" Sakura squealed. "I don't want to think about you having sex!"

Misa giggled to herself. "How do you think you were born?"

The pink-haired genin scowled at her mother. "Artificial Insemination."

"Right, but that doesn't mean I can't imagine those chiseled pecs, those fine abdominals and that charming smile…" She sighed, joined by almost every kunoichi there.

"Yeah…" Kono Yamanaka said dreamily. "I love my husband, but I wouldn't mind a little side action, you know?"

Ino gave her a mom a scandalized look, and she responded. "Oh don't look at me like that. I married your dad for a reason, but I can have my fantasies. It's natural."

Cho Akimichi nodded too. "Yeah, and to think, at one point, he was this cute little kid I could pick up and snuggle against my bosom…and now I want him to spank me." The curvy woman smiled dreamily to herself, before realizing that hotspring had gone silent.

She looked around at the amused stares. "I, uh, said that last part out loud, didn't I?"

Tsume snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, you did. Don't worry, no one will say a thing to your husband."

"Psssht." Yoshino Nara scoffed. "I don't think Shikaku would actually care if I got laid with Naruto. He'd bluster about it for a minute at most, then call it troublesome and roll over to sleep." She gained a dead-pan look on her features. "Kami knows that's what my sex life is like."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Oohoohooh! I just remembered!" Anko shouted, pointing a finger into the air, then sweeping it around to point at Samui. "Samui-chan lost her virginity to Naruto last night!"

The former Kumo kunoichi draped a washcloth over her face to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"Lucky~!" Suzume called out teasingly.

"So, who's going to the Summer Festival tomorrow?" Yugito asked loudly, trying to draw attention away from her sister.

As they started chattering, Hinata tried to sink in the water and hide as Hanabi gained a wicked smirk. "Hinata's going to the Festival with Naruto!"

Several kunoichi cursed, even Kurenai. "Bitch!" She muttered, not calling her student a name, simply using it as a curse. A few grudgingly congratulated Hinata, who had turtled so far into the water that only her hair was visible.

Taiyo Hyuuga finally noticed something off in the hotspring. "Has it always bubbled like that?" She asked in her soft, lilting voice.

"Is it broken?"

Tsume shook her head. "Nah, if it was broken the water level would be low, but it's high."

Before someone could investigate, their answer came from the water.

A large form, covered in black plate scales with many spikes running down the back, concentrated just below the shoulder blades, and along the arms and legs and the long, mace-like tail, rose from the center of the water with a deep yawn.

Naruto's eyes were closed as he rose from his nap under the hot water of the hotsprings. Keeping the illusion up for too long made his body itch like crazy, and he wanted a place to rest without being bothered for a while.

The lakes in the training grounds were too cold for his tastes, so he dipped into a hotspring that was closed for some reason and settled on the bottom, in his true form, for a nice nap.

It was well known that dragons had massive lung capacity, for continuous use of Dragon Fire and the Voice, so spending a few hours underwater was no big deal. Though he did cast a water-breathing spell on himself, just in case. No one wants to be woken up by choking on water.

Waking up, Naruto stretched his back, hearing the cracks like gunshots echoing through the hotspring. Seems like his wings were coming to come in soon. He wouldn't be able to use them for awhile, not until the bones had grown in and the muscles, tendons and nerves had fully developed. It meant he was getting close to the end of his transformation into a twenty-foot long dragon. He would grow larger in dragon form as he aged until he reached his prime, and from then he could change his size like Alduin.

Naruto breathed a deep sigh out of his nose and cast the shape-change spell, causing the scales covering his body to ripple and vanish, as did the rest of his Dragon-ish features, replaced with the slightly grayer flesh of a human. He'd probably gained a few centimeters from his nap, and the water came up to just above his crotch.

Sucking in a deep breath, Naruto paused when he realized that the air was filled with not just the relaxing herbs in the water, but also the scents of more than two dozen females, not to mention the cacophony of heartbeats.

He opened his eyes and froze, looking around at all the naked women staring at him in lust. And then he remembered that he was naked as well, bringing a hand up to cover his eyes.

"Ahem," Naruto cleared his throat. "I suppose this may be a bad time to tell you that I'm having a barbeque at my place."

Silence. "I apologize for intruding, I thought this spring was closed."

Not looking up, he started muttering to himself in Dragon Tongue. **"Daal Daar Gein Dovah Denek." **_[Translation, Literal: Take This One Dragon (to) His Soil] "Take me home."_]

In human tongue, he said, "I'm going to go now."

A fierce orange wind wrapped around him and departed, leaving the hotspring full of just women.

The silence was broken by Mikoto wolf-whistling and saying, "Damn."

…

About two hours later, many of the people invited to the barbeque showed up at Naruto's apartment, finding a few fire pits around a bonfire with animals roasting on spits over the open flames, and a barbeque with steaks, hamburgers and vegetables grilling on the surface.

Naruto himself came out of the basement with a large barrel on his back, setting it down on a heavy table that was laden with barrels and jugs of various liquids. He waved at the arriving guests, grabbing a spigot and slamming it home with a bare fist.

He brought a few mugs under the tap and poured out generous amounts of a black, fizzy liquid that smelled like blackberries and honey with a sharp undertone.

The two Nords' eyes went wide and they rushed over to the table as Naruto set the full mugs aside. "Is that what I think it is?" Aela asked in excitement.

Naruto nodded with a smirk and handed her and Mira the containers. "Yup, Four Year Aged Blackbriar Mead. I haven't actually tried any yet and I want your opinion."

They clinked the mugs together. "To Good Food and Drink!" They chanted and drank deep of the mead.

Several seconds later, the mugs came back down, only a few dregs remaining. "Whew!" Naruto breathed out, a small flush in his cheeks. "That's some strong stuff! Taste like you remember?" He asked the two Nords.

Mira smacked her lips. "Even better than I remember. How much did you say you have?"

He patted the cask. "Of Blackbriar Mead? Thirty or so casks. I've got other drinks like Gold Honey Mead and Blackberry Cider down there as well. It's funny," Naruto snorted and refilled his mug and another, passing the other off to an arriving Kakashi. "I found a large vein Ebony Ore in the basement after I bought the building out and after I mined it out, I had this huge cavern underneath. Alduin suggested I fill it with something and I didn't know what until he jokingly suggested I fill it floor to ceiling with barrels of alcohol."

The Sandaime approached and took a proffered mug with a grateful smile. "Yes, when a ten year-old Naruto walked into my office and asked me where he could get the materials to make alcohol, I'll admit that I was shocked. But after he explained it to me, I helped him out." He drank deep and sighed in satisfaction. "Ah. I can say that I'm glad I helped him."

Naruto snorted and finished labeling the barrels of drinks. "You say only because you helped me perfect the recipe. Which included drinking gallons of alcohol."

The Sandaime looked as if was about to rebuke the Dragon shinobi, but nodded with grin instead. "Yup, that's definitely why."

They laughed as more and more people arrived at the party. Naruto posted Kakashi at the drinks table so the younger kids and Lee wouldn't get their hands on something too strong.

The party lasted several hours, well into the night and the early morning. By the time it officially ended, many animals had been roasted and eaten, and many barrels had been drained of their contents.

Even Hayate had managed to come out of his hospital room and join in, though he had to leave two hours later so he could sleep.

Still awake at three in the morning, Naruto was cleaning the grounds, picking up discarded plates and glasses to be washed and put away, barrels to be rinsed, smoked and used again, and the odd unconscious body was set in a guestroom to sleep off the night's fun.

Aela had challenged Anko to a drinking contest. The purple-haired tokubetsu jonin had lost rather easily, being completely unused to alcohol content in Mead. Almost immediately afterwards, the Huntress challenged Mira to another drinking contest. That time, they both drank themselves into unconsciousness, and they were leaning against each, snoring.

Hinata and Hanabi had tried to do the same. They had to leave early, being carried by their father, as their first taste of really hard alcohol had knocked them out. Naruto did not envy the headaches they would have when the twins woke up.

He cleared away the last of the mess and moved to the remains of the bonfire, where one last person was sleeping. Yugito had been avoiding him all day for some reason, and Naruto had to admit, he missed her presence.

He kneeled and picked the slumbering jinchuriki up, only to be surprised as she almost tackled him to the ground. "Uh, Yugito-chan?"

Her eyes glimmered with a strange blue light, letting him know that she was not entirely in control. She pushed her nose into his neck and sniffed deeply, licking his throat and nibbling at the skin. "I want you **so bad, Naruto-**kun. I **need you…**I need you **to take me…I've been waiting **so long, I'll go crazy if you **don't take me now!**"

The layered voice told Naruto that she was feeling deep emotions, deep enough to access some of Matatabi's chakra. "Wait-"

Yugito grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the ground. **"NO! No more waiting! Give me what I want! What I need! Give it-"**

Naruto pulled her down and smashed his lips to hers, silencing her demands rather handily. When they parted, he looked into her eyes meaningfully. "This is your first time, Yugito-chan. Do you want to experience it as yourself, or with Matatabi along for the ride?"

Her eyes flickered as a debate raged in her head. "Next time," She whispered to herself as her eyes lost the fire and became aqua once more. Her lips descended on his once more, her tongue spearing through his lips to tangle with his own.

As she kissed him, Naruto reached behind her and formed a Shadow Clone to go fetch a tent, so that he could ward it silent, and anyone who looked would only see a tent and not their naked bodies. He also reached out a cast a low-level fire spell to relight the logs, casting a warm glow over the two as they meshed bodies.

Naruto pushed himself up as the clone came back with the tent and shifted so that they were both inside, with the blonde jinchuriki underneath him. With a final flash of light, a Muffling Spell was cast, and the blond jinchuriki devoted all of his attention to the woman tearing at his shirt.

He pushed himself onto his knees and quickly pulled his shirt off, discarding it carelessly as his pants quickly followed.

Yugito ripped her shirt off, followed by her pants, leaving her in her underwear in a pile of ripped cloth. She snapped the straps holding her bra up and threw it aside, tackling Naruto to the ground. She straddled his hips, grinding their crotches together and reached up, undoing the bandages keeping her hair under control. A curtain of blonde fell around her shoulders as she smirked down at the man underneath her.

Yugito bent down and kissed him tenderly, gasping as one of his hands grasped a breast. She pulled back and looked down at Naruto as she reached down and stroked his length with both her hand and her panty-clad lips. "When we do this again, I definitely want to feel your tongue inside me," She whispered sultrily, licking from the corner of his lips all the way up to his ear. "But I've waited too long, I don't want to wait another second. I need you in me."

Without another word, she brushed her soaked panties aside and sunk down on his length.

Yugito's eyes went wide and she stared up at the ceiling of the tent, eyes glazed and mouth open as she gasped and shuddered rapidly.

Naruto paused, feeling the warm liquid of her orgasm drenching his groin. "Did you just…?"

The blonde just gasped and shuddered more. While she didn't have a barrier from her lifestyle, it was still a tight fit and would take a bit to get used to.

Naruto leaned up and latched his lips onto one of her nipples, his hands trailing down her back to massage her rear as he kissed and sucked her breasts.

Yugito finally moved, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and let out a low groan of pleasure. She clenched her muscles around his length and writhed in his lap, moaning at the sensations. She began to move, slowly pulling back and pushing forward as Naruto moaned her name.

Yugito pushed him onto his back and molded their bodies together, her hands intertwining with his, her hips moving up and down at a regular pace. Naruto titled his head up and clamped his lips over her open mouth, pushing his tongue through to tangle with her own.

They separated and the blonde hovered over Naruto, her eyes half-lidded, cheeks rosy and sweat dripping from her skin. "Naruto…" She mumbled, "Naruto…I feel it coming…please, come with me."

He pushed up as she came down and made her gasp, her eyes wide as she started to frantically jerk and bounce on his lap. Naruto grasped her face and brought their lips together as he finally released inside of her. Yugito cried into his mouth as her orgasm ripped through her body, shaking and shuddering as her arousal splashed his thighs and his arousal painted her insides white.

As their orgasm faded, the blonde jinchuriki slumped on his chest, breathing deeply. "…Yugito?" Naruto asked gently, running his hands down her back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," She replied suddenly. She sat up and looked down on him with eyes of blue fire and smirk on her lips. "Yugito is…not here right now."

Naruto blinked. "Nibi?"

Nibi licked her lips, her long nails dragging as she stroked his cheek. "Bingo, Big Boy." She answered. "My name is Matatabi, but you can call me Mata-chan."

The blond looked up at her, ignoring the sudden scream of rage echoing in his mind. "Uh, what are you doing?" He asked hesitantly.

Matatabi suddenly writhed in his lap, causing him to gasp as he remembered that his length was still buried inside her body. "What does it look like?" The Nibi asked rhetorically. "I'm getting some. Yugito isn't the only who's gone too long without some relief."

She ran a hand down her front. "But I do respect my container, so I won't fuck you in her body." Matatabi gripped her hair and pulled her hands slowly down her body, blue fire spreading from her fingertips to engulf her form. "I'll do it in mine."

When she was done, Yugito was gone. In her place was being made of blue fire, black swirls decorating her exotic body, enhancing her curves. Naruto stared at the creature straddling his lap with wide eyes.

Black swirls like tattoos ran the length of her body, even curling around her white eyes and full lips. Matatabi stretched and groaned, thrusting her chest out and shaking the white flames that served as her hair out. **"Ahh,"** She groaned happily, **"It's so good to get out, even if just a little bit."**

She gazed down at Naruto with smirk on her lips. **"Well?"** Matatabi purred seductively, running a finger down his chest. **"What do you think, Ryu-kun?"**

_I'm glad I'm fire-proof._ Naruto thought to himself before he actually looked at Matatabi. In her original form, the Nibi differed greatly from her container. Whereas Yugito had a more athletic form with healthy curves, Matatabi had an ample chest, wider hips and if the weight on his thighs was any indication, a rounder rear as well. She was taller too; Yugito came up to his neck; Matatabi was about the same height as he was. It wouldn't be wrong to say that she was Amazonian in proportions.

All of this was wrapped up in blue flame and black tattoos, giving her an exotic, other-worldly quality.

"Wow…You're hot." Naruto complimented, grinning a little at the bad pun.

Matatabi smiled and planted a searing kiss on his lips, running her fingers through his hair as their tongues tangled. Naruto pushed himself up so that he was sitting and wrapped his arms around her body, admiring the soft feel of her skin.

She leaned back until she was lying on the burning ground and crooked her finger at Naruto with a saucy grin on her blue lips. **"Come on, Ryu-kun, show this bad kitty a good time."**

The blond jinchuriki pulled his hips back and thrust inside her, grasping her hips for better leverage as he pounded down into the burning Biju.

Said Biju moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist. **"Oh, Mara, yes!"** Matatabi cried in pleasure, her hands digging into the ground and her hair whipping back and forth as she writhed under the pleasurable ministrations of her container's lover. **"More! More!"**

Naruto groaned as his length pierced her roiling depths. It was like he was sitting in the center of an inferno of pleasure, heat making the air shimmer around them. He fell forward, pressing the Nibi into the ground under his full weight, and the blue-flame elemental just cried aloud as he speared deeper into her. He could feel her fingers digging into his back, feel her hot walls contract and squeeze his length as her orgasm approached rapidly.

Matatabi shook under his body and mewled as she came, clutching Naruto tightly as he, in turn, released inside of her. She sighed in satisfaction and stroked Naruto's hair. **"That was good,"** She commented, panting slightly. **"It's been too long."**

Naruto pulled back and kissed her, sucking lightly on the fiery appendage in her mouth. "When was the last time you did this?" he asked curiously.

Matatabi thought it over. **"Personally? Never. But my second container, Yugito's mother, had a seal that let me experience some of the sensations." **She nuzzled into his neck and sighed. **"Gotta say, the real thing is much better."**

The blond blinked and pulled back, looking down at their connected groins to find a small puddle of sizzling white fluid that must be Matatabi's juices. He reached down and dipped a finger into the puddle and tasted it. It was like someone had blended pineapple, strawberry and coconut with the essence of fire. It was delicious.

"Mata-chan," He started, looking into her eyes. "I admit, this was kind of weird, but very sexy. Where's Yugito?"

She quirked a black-tattooed eyebrow at him. **"She's unconscious in our mindscape. It's kind of my fault, I've been in heat for the last week; it probably bled over into her. Plus the fact that she was a virgin…"**

"Ah," Naruto nodded. Matatabi pulled away, and suddenly pushed Naruto on his back, one hand grabbing onto his softening length and stroking it.

"**Did you think we were done, Ryu-kun?"** She 'tsked' in mock disappointment. **"I've got two hundred years to make up for. You're not going anywhere."**

As the furnace that was her mouth descended, Naruto realized that he wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

…

Four hours later, the blue flames that made up Matatabi's body flickered out, leaving behind a softly snoring Yugito who had fresh features, as if she had taken a power-bath.

She was spooned against Naruto's chest, his arm draping over her smooth stomach.

With a quiet sigh, the blond jinchuriki woke up to the sound of purring coming from her mindscape. She shifted in Naruto's arms until she was facing the man, her aqua eyes meeting his tired red. "Hey." She whispered.

He smiled at her. "Hey," He replied.

Yugito scooted closer and groaned at the sudden soreness flaring in her groin. "That's not going to be fun tomorrow." She muttered, trying to shift into a comfortable position.

"Here." Naruto said, a warm golden glow encasing her.

The blonde kunoichi moaned in relief as the pain faded. "Yes," She mumbled, "Definitely a keeper."

He chuckled, gently stroking her side. "You just want me for my body." He joked.

Yugito cracked open her eyes and smirked at him. "Of course." Her smirk faded into a real smile. "I love you." She said suddenly.

Naruto's eyes went wide. "What?"

She snuggled even closer and pressed her lips to his softly. "You heard me," She mumbled, eyes sliding closed. "I love you. I know you might not be able to say it back, but I know you will."

With her piece said, Yugito fell asleep, lulled by the contented purr from her mind and rhythmic thumping of Naruto's heart, leaving the dragon-man awake, his mind running over the new information.

…

For Naruto, the next day began around noon. He woke up with Yugito in his arms, his blanket tucked around their bodies, having moved into the house last night before going to sleep.

After he roused his fellow blonde, she kissed him and left, drawing a promise of future encounters from him that was easily given before walking out of his room naked, a slight limp in her step and a smile on her face.

He bathed and cleaned and dressed, walking into his living room to find Satsu sitting on his couch in her underwear, reading a weapon magazine with a bored look on her face.

Spotting him out of the corner of her eye, the blood-thirsty kunoichi pounced on him and without a word, immediately mounted him for a round of rough sex on the living room floor.

Another shower and some food later, Naruto walked around Konoha, taking in the sights of the decorations being put up.

His first stop in town was a tailor, as his previous clothes didn't fit anymore. However, with the festival literally hours away, they didn't have enough time to make a kimono for him, so he had to settle for one about a size too small that left his chest and the tattoos there easily visible.

He spent some time hanging out with Tenten in the store, talking about whatever came to mind.

And, faster than he thought possible, twilight began to fall.

Dressing in his kimono, Naruto took a deep breath to soothe his nerves. Even if it wasn't his first time taking a girl on a date, the blond couldn't help it. His nerves flared up every time.

Taking the long way to the Hyuuga compound, he admired the many strings of lanterns crossing the streets and the smells of different foods being cooked in preparation.

Arriving at the compound, Naruto nodded to the two guards and waited for Hinata to come out.

Five minutes later, a blushing Hyuuga heiress peeked around a door and stepped out slowly. Naruto's mouth fell open at the sight of Hinata, a kimono that started out as white around her legs that slowly turned into a dark purple around her shoulders, the Hyuuga clan symbol imprinted on both shoulders. Her violet hair had been pulled up into a bun held in place by a pair of lacquered chopsticks, and a light amount of blue eye-shadow and light red lipstick finished the look off, playing on the innocent quality of Hinata's face to enhance her beauty.

"Wow…" Naruto said to himself.

Hinata blushed and walked over to Naruto. "G-good evening, Naruto-kun." She greeted quietly, resisting the urge to poke her finger together.

The blond smiled at her and presented a white rose for her to take. The Hyuuga kunoichi took the flower and stroked the soft petals gently before tucking it behind her ear. "You look beautiful." Naruto complimented, holding his arm out.

Hinata looped her arm with his. "And you look h-handsome." She returned, feeling her heart swell.

He swept an arm out at the bright lights. "Shall we go, milady?" He asked grand fashion, getting a giggle and a nod from her.

As they set off, Hanabi looked around the door and sighed at the backs of her crush and her sister.

They two of them walked through Konoha, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the Summer Festival. Lanterns decorated the streets, and small stands selling food and games had sprung up along the road. Everyone had come out to enjoy the festive atmosphere, the tasty food and the fun to be had.

The hours passed by quickly as they played at some of the stands. Naruto won Hinata a small stuffed turtle at a stand that had players trying to knock over a stack of bottles; Hinata had managed to pull a goldfish from a bowl with a paper scoop, and had given it to a little kid who thanked her, calling her a 'pretty lady' and running away to show his parents.

Naruto checked the time and jerked, getting Hinata's attention. "It's almost ten," he told her, "The fireworks are starting soon."

He quickly grabbed a few food items and led his date onto a hill that overlooked a most of Konoha. They sat down and enjoyed the fried and unhealthy food of the event; Hinata giggled as Naruto devoured a cinnamon roll, getting frosting on his cheek. Smiling, she reached over and wiped the cream from his face and licked off her fingers with a blush.

The blond looked over at the violet-haired girl sitting next to him and slowly reached out, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers.

She looked up at him with a shy but happy smile and leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat and looked at the stars, enjoying the others' company.

A sharp whistle rang through the air as a rocket flew into the air and exploded into the shape of a flower.

As the fireworks burst in the sky, a soft hand turned Naruto's head. Hinata leaned up and gently kissed his lips, warmth shooting through her body as contact was made.

Naruto stroked her cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist, deepening the kiss just a little more.

They separated, a red hue coloring the girls cheeks. "Thank you for coming out with me." Naruto whispered to her, kissing her soft red lips once more.

Hinata leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed in content. "Thank you for taking me." She replied, snuggling into his side.

Lights danced across the sky as they sat on top of the hill, enjoying the time they spent together.

…

…

**A/N: Took awhile, and I'm sorry to say the next will as well.**

**Now, I don't follow the manga too much, just check in every once in a while and scoff at the next bit of ridiculousness that crops up, and then disregard it entirely. So, I want to say here and now, this will not follow Canon. Akatsuki is a thing, but they won't follow canon, and that's all I'll say.**

**Quite the info-dump, this chapter is.**

**Also, I've been asked about a Highschool DxD crossover, but it's not really in the cards. I've got school and classes and shit like that. I'm going to try and update Shadows of the Remnants next, and then updates will be sporadic at best.**

**So, read, review and Enjoy.**

**Stay Awesome.**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: We will actually go to Kumo next time, I swear to everything under the sun. Seriously, this one just got away from me. **

**Stay Awesome Some More.**

**~still Soleneus**


	11. First Exam in the Clouds

**Chapter 11: First Exam in the Clouds**

At a civilians' pace, the trek from Konoha to Kumo would take maybe three weeks, give or take, barring any bandit attacks or bad weather. For a ninja it would take anywhere from four days to a week.

A caravan of merchants, travelers and ninjas were heading to Kumo for the Chunin exams. Twenty genin teams along with their jonin sensei was more than enough protection for fifty civilians.

The carts full of goods went along the center of the road, surrounded by ninjas, occasionally sending out scouts to observe the road ahead.

Being about a week into the trip, most of the shinobi and kunoichi were restless, more used to jumping through the trees and sprinting along the roads than walking at what was considered a sedate pace.

Tenten, as part of section two, the group watching the middle of the caravan, was bored. However, she was also smart, and while walking, read through a scroll describing a Doton technique, 'Earth Wall Encampment'. While she wanted to be known as the Weapon Mistress of Konoha, the name would give away her weaknesses; her reliance on weapons.

And while Tenten did love her weapons, she knew that a shinobi did not specialize, not unless they could compensate for it. She didn't have a massive chakra capacity, or perfect control, which left all but the roughest techniques out of her reach. That knowledge didn't phase her; her idol, Tsunade Senju, wasn't known as the Strongest Kunoichi for just her prodigious strength; she was also one of the greatest medical minds in the Elemental Nations.

Thankfully, Doton techniques were the very definition of rough jutsu. Katon and Raiton used chakra to create the elements, which were then used to attack; while Futon, Suiton and Doton manipulated existing elements; Air, Water and Earth.

Doton jutsu were far easier to learn compared to the others, which was why it wasn't surprising that almost every ninja knew at least one. Earth; dirt, rock and mud, was solid and only needed to chakra to lead and hold shape. Water needed to be shaped and directed carefully or it would fail and simply become puddles. Air needed to be gathered, directed and shaped or it would end up as a weak breeze instead of a hurricane.

So, Doton was perfect for Tenten.

Anyone who knew her was aware that she took being a ninja seriously. Her new outfit made sure that even strangers knew.

Light boots replaced sandals; her light green pants were darkened and held multiple pockets and light armoring on the thighs; her pink shirt had been replaced with a long-sleeved shirt with leather padding on the stomach and the shoulders; black leather gloves and light bracers covered her arms. The gloves were open in the front: she tried to use full gloves, but the difference in feel threw her aim off.

A sword was strapped to her back. This weapon had previously belonged to Naruto, but he had forged a new weapon, one that made her salivate at the thought of it.

_(Flashback)_

"_So, I want you to stand back and don't interrupt me during this. It could be very dangerous for all of us." Naruto finished explaining, his serious gaze pinning Tenten and her father in place until they nodded in agreement._

"_Alright, stand back." He said, pulling his jacket off and hanging up outside of the forge. _

_Naruto began to work the bellows after lighting the fire, bringing it to a heat that would barely redden metal._

_Tenten and Tentechi traded dubious looks, but kept silent._

_The Dragon man poured magic into his palm, gathering a swirling vortex of purple and red energy that pulsed with deep beat. He squeezed the vortex gently, creating a larger version in front of him with the sound of a gong being struck._

_Out of the vortex stepped a humanoid figure clad in only a loincloth, holding a shoddily made war hammer. It was covered in scars, with red skin and black markings that seemed to be demonic in nature._

_Quickly, Naruto stepped forward, drawing his ebon dagger with a soul-chilling hiss emanating from the blade, and plunged the weapon hilt-deep up into the creatures' throat, piercing its' brain and killing it instantly._

_A small thunder clap echoed through the room as white and purple energy streamed off of the dead creature, drawn to a crystal structure Naruto held in his free hand. He pocketed the crystal and knelt, using his hands to rip open the creatures' chest, splashing glowing blood onto the floor as he tore the heart out._

_Setting the bright red organ aside, Naruto hefted the creature onto his shoulders and tossed it into the forge._

_Instantly, the heat shot up, drawing sweat from the two humans as the air became stifling. Naruto placed three ingots of ebony metal into the forge began to rhythmically breathe dragon fire over them._

_Within seconds, the metal was glowing white-hot and beginning to melt. Quickly he snatched it out of the forge and set it on the anvil, hammering away while chanting under his breath._

_For about an hour he labored away, shaping the metal into a blade. Naruto stepped away to grab an empty trough, revealing a plain red-hot blade. He breathed fire over it again and grabbed the heart, holding over the trough._

_He squeezed like one would a fruit and glowing red blood poured from the organ, more than it should hold, filling the trough more than halfway. Naruto opened his hand, showing the two a small black stone that pulsed weakly with red._

_He heated the sword again and pushed the stone into the center of the blade, folding the metal to cover it, before flicking it off the anvil and into the trough._

_Tenten and her father stepped forward as the blood hissed and steamed angrily. "What-"_

_Naruto shushed her and pointed at the receding liquid. The trio watched as the blood slowly drained away, and the outline of a sword became apparent._

_Once it was all gone, Naruto reached in and withdrew the weapon, holding it up to look over it for imperfections. The pommel was sharp, like an arrowhead, with black leather wrapped around the hilt. The guard was hooked to cover the hand and a gnarled black color that made up the center of the blade. The edges were grey and wickedly sharp with serrations running the entire length of the blade, and the sword had red lines running through it that pulsed gently._

_All in all, it was a vicious looking blade, made for killing and maiming. With a hilt a little less than a foot long and three- and-a-half-foot edge, the weapon was just less than five feet long._

"_This is what's called a Bastard Sword," Naruto commented, swinging the blade slowly. "Half-way between a long sword and a broadsword, it can wielded with two hands for extra power, or in one hand with another weapon or a shield in the other."_

_He suddenly twirled the blade, shearing off the tip of anvil horn with _shing!_ The cut was clean, and the blade undamaged. "There are only a few weapons more powerful than this."_

_Naruto leaned the blade against a wall and pulled a scroll out of his jacket. He unsealed a stone table that was covered in runic carvings and laid the Daedric Bastard Sword over it, withdrawing the glowing gem._

"_This is called an Enchanting table." Naruto explained to the two humans. "With a filled soul gem, you can enchant weapons and armor with different effects. As far as I know, this is the last of its kind."_

_He laid a hand on blade, making sure to touch the table as his eyes glazed over. The gem in his hand disintegrated, flowing over the blade and beginning to glow red. "I just enchanted it to do fire damage." Naruto said, showing them the small flame-like designs covering the edge._

_Tenten and her father were silent until the older blacksmith suddenly spoke. "Son, if I were gay, I'd kiss you."_

_(End)_

…

Tenten fingered the ring on her middle finger. It was a simple silver band with a ruby set into it that Naruto enchanted to create a ward around her that would deflect damage, along with another enchantment that would muffle the sounds she made. On a completely unrelated note, she discovered that sneaking up on people was a lot of fun. The brunette sighed and ran through the hand seals slowly. _This is so boring._

…

Naruto strode along the road, small clouds of smoke billowing from his mouth, a pipe that had been a gift from the Old Man clenched between his teeth.

With his final transformation so close, his hormones had been going crazy, leaving alternately angry, horny, depressed and hyper. Alduin had advised him to get a few leaves of Dragon Tongue and smoke it with a bit of the Hokage's special tobacco, and it had done well in making his mood level out.

It was not helped, however, by the constant flirting he had to deal with. Satsu, being his responsibility, had come along and insisted on staying in his tent, citing herself as his 'bodyguard'.

That had not gone over well with the others.

Honestly, he just wanted to sleep most nights. By that token, Hinata and Hanabi had taken to waiting for an argument to break out before sneaking into his tent and cuddling with him through the night.

"Naruto?" A soft voice broke through his reverie.

He turned and smiled apologetically at Yoshino Nara, who was sitting on the cart he was walking next to. "Sorry, Nara-san, I was just thinking."

The former kunoichi pouted and crossed her arms. "Naruto, I told you to call me Yoshino-chan. The least you can do is respect that."

"Alright, Yoshino-chan." He replied, puffing away. "Did you want to talk to me about something?"

She smiled at the name. "Yes. What is it that you're smoking? It smells intriguing."

"It is. It's a mixture of Dragon Tongue and the Hokage's special tobacco. It's supposed to help calm me down and relax." Naruto explained, blowing a smoke ring.

The Nara Matriarch fell silent. "Can I try it?" She finally asked, looking abashed.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at woman, but handed over the pipe, albeit tentatively. He watched as the woman inhaled the fragrant cinnamon-mint smoke with her eyes closed.

She breathed out slowly, eyes fixed on some invisible point in the sky. "Orange-white Orchid and the Hokage's Special tobacco. It relaxes you, you say? Funny, it's giving me energy. I feel awakened." She stiffened, her eyes going wide. "I'm awakened! So Awakened! So awakened, you don't even know!"

Naruto quickly flicked an orb of calming green energy at the suddenly hyper woman, snatching the pipe away quickly.

Yoshino blinked at the sudden absence of energy. "What was that?" She asked.

The dragon human created a similar ball in his hand. "Calming spell. Should've figured it would react differently with you, sorry about that."

She shook her head and smiled at him. "No need to apologize, Naruto-kun, I don't mind. Though I might be interested in getting some for my son and husband."

Naruto shook his head and chuckled at the thought of Shikamaru and his dad running around, bouncing off the walls because they were so hyper. "That would hilarious."

Yoshino sighed and chuckled. "It would at least make my sex life better."

The gray-haired shinobi puffed his pipe, silenced by the sudden comment. "I didn't need to know that, Yoshino-chan." He replied, giving her a dry look.

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You don't want to hear about my sex life, or rather, lack of one?"

His face became dead-pan. "Nope. You are the mom of one my acquaintances, and also married."

"Am I unattractive?" She asked with a sad pout and a small sniff. "It's because I'm plain, isn't it?"

Naruto's eye twitched. On one hand, he knew she was manipulating him. On the other, he didn't want to offend the Matriarch of the Nara. "You're very pretty, Yoshino-chan, but you are still married. I don't want to be home-wrecker."

Yoshino leaned over and began to whisper in his ear. "Naruto, do you see my son up ahead?"

His eyes focused on the sleeping form of Shikamaru, who was napping in the back of a cart. "Yes?"

"And you know he's thirteen, right?" At his nod, she continued. "I haven't had sex in twelve years, and it's not for a lack of trying. Every time I try, Shikaku just lays there like a log with a branch sticking up. He falls asleep before I can even get started and I never get to finish! Do you know how stressed twelve years of sexual frustration makes you?"

"_Tell it sister!"_ Ember cheered inside his head.

Sighing to himself, Naruto grudgingly admitted that Yoshino had a point, as much as he didn't like it. "Alright, I get it, you're unhappy with your marriage. Then why not get a divorce?"

The Nara Matriarch sighed and slumped a bit in her seat. "As much as I don't enjoy my sex life, I love my son, and I don't want him to go through that. If I did divorce, I wouldn't be able to see him anymore as I wouldn't be part of the clan. Unless I came out of retirement and became a kunoichi again."

Silence fell between, broken only by the clops of hooves and the creaking of wheels. "Sorry about that." Naruto said, tucking his hands in his pockets.

"Not your fault," She replied. "Let's change the subject. What's this I've heard about potions?"

…

After a day of walking and chatting with a woman very interested in the knowledge Naruto had about herbs and the potions that could be made with them, night had fallen and camp had been made.

With a full belly, Naruto sighed as the girls started arguing again. "Ladies," He interjected before they could gather any steam. "Stop fighting. I know tensions are high because of where we are going, but you need to calm down. Satsu, stop antagonizing them. I'll ask Kakashi to take you with the jonin if we come across a bandit encampment, alright?"

The silver-haired Daedra-worshipper nodded crossed her arms, pouting at the loss of her fun. Naruto stood and brushed the dust from his pants. "I'm going to bed, alone." He said, looking meaningfully at the Hyuuga twins. "Goodnight everybody."

The Nii sisters stood and kissed his cheeks before he entered his tent and zipped it shut. He sighed and divested himself of his jacket, pausing when he realized that he wasn't alone in his tent.

Yoshino stood next to his roll wearing a grey sleeping yukata. She put a finger to her lips and shushed him before slapping a seal on the side of his tent and flaring her chakra. "There, now nobody will hear us."

"Hear us?" Naruto asked, slightly confused by her appearance.

She smirked at him and pulled the hair-band binding her brown hair into a bun, letting the short curls fall around her shoulders. "Well, I don't think you want anyone hearing me scream as I get introduced to your…dragon, do we? They might think something…untoward is going on."

Before he could reply, she shrugged her shoulders, dropping the silk garment to pool on the floor, revealing what she wore underneath. Black stockings clung to her legs like a second skin, held up by a garter belt that dug into her well rounded-hips; black lacy panties that were low and thin hid nothing from his hungry gaze, and neither did the transparent black bra that was a size too small, her two moderately-sized breasts pushed together invitingly.

_Sorry Shikamaru,_ Naruto thought to himself, letting his eyes wander up and down the view presented to him by the Nara Matriarch. _But I am so fucking your mother._

Yoshino placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, a sultry smile playing about her lips. "Well, what do you think?"

Naruto smirked back, his hormones taking control. "Why, Mrs. Nara, are you trying to seduce me?"

Instead of answering immediately, she strutted over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed their lips together, her tongue striking out to tangle with his while one leg went around his waist and meshed their bodies, letting the older woman feel the effects her outfit had on the genin.

She pulled back and licked her swelling lips. "Not just trying, from what I can feel."

Naruto bent his head and licked along her jaw with his long and rough tongue to nibble on her earlobe with his sharp teeth. "Oh, I'll make you feel." He whispered, a slight growl in his tone causing shivers to travel down Yoshino's spine. His clawed fingers went to the clasp on her bra, but she quickly stopped his arm and gave him a smoky look.

"Not just yet, you beast." She murmured, running her hands up the sides of his torso. The Nara Matriarch swiftly dropped to her knees, dragging her hands down with his pants along the way.

His arousal sprang from the confines it had been imprisoned in like she expected, quickly catching it in her mouth and lavishing the tip with attention, her hands holding his arms away from her head. She slowly bobbed forward, taking in more and more of his length, little by little. He hit the back of her throat and she quickly withdrew, coughing.

"Sorry," Yoshino looked up at him with a rueful half-smile on her face. "I haven't had much practice, as you can tell."

He grinned down at her as she lightly stroked him. "Take your time. We have all night."

She licked her lips and planted her hands on his thighs before engulfing him in her warm mouth as he threaded his hands through her hair. When he reached the back of her throat, she paused to suck in a breath before pushing him deeper, ignoring her gag reflex and reveling in the way Naruto groaned and gripped her hair.

Yoshino stopped with her nose resting against his pelvis and simply waited for her neck to relax, closing her eyes and feeling the echoing pulse from the length of hot arousal in her head.

Naruto threw his head back as she gulped, her throat contracting around him pleasurably. She withdrew and descended again with increasing speed until the tightening of his muscles under her hands warned her of the impending eruption. Quickly, she released him from her mouth and pushed him down, crawling between his legs to lightly stroke him, keeping him on edge but not bringing him over.

"I've always wanted to try this," Yoshino commented, grabbing his length and positioning it under her breasts before lowering herself down, encasing his arousal in soft skin. His tip emerged from the top of her cleavage and she smothered it with her lips, bobbing her upper half up and down in time with her suction.

Naruto panted and groaned out, "Yoshino…I'm nearly there."

She looked up at him with his arousal in her mouth, her dark eyes glittering with lust and sucked harder. In return, he released, letting loose a stream of his seed into her mouth, which she drank with enthusiasm, a few drops spilling from her lips to drip on her breasts.

Yoshino withdrew, pulling his still-hard length from her cleavage and panted, scooping up the remainder and licking from her fingers. "It's so hot," She said with wonderment in her voice. "I don't remember it being hot."

Naruto seized her by the elbows and pulled her up to meet her lips briefly before turning his attention to her neck. As he kissed and licked at the soft skin of her throat, his hands moved to the clasp of her bra and swiftly unclipped then discarded the garment, freeing her breasts from their lacy confines.

He shifted and rolled over, placing Yoshino on her back, and slid down to focus on her chest. His tongue emerged to flick a hardened nipple before drawing it into his mouth while his hand went to the other unoccupied breast to cup and massage it.

Childbirth was evident, though faded from the years, and while they sagged just a bit, they were round and full, rising and falling invitingly as she breathed quickly, the pleasure causing the air in her lungs to leave with every moan.

Naruto kissed both nipples and moved down, pressing his lips onto her stomach, softened from retirement but still toned from a lifetime of training, pausing to playfully tug on the onyx piercing in her navel before reaching her panty-clad core dripping with arousal.

He gently stroked her lips through the thin covering, watching with a smirk as her back arched and she groaned loudly. A finger pulled on the edge and her panties ripped away easily.

Yoshino looked down at him, sweat and color on her cheeks. "Disposable panties. Didn't want to take the stockings off."

Naruto nodded and kissed her lips, parting the outer folds with his fingers to probe the inners with his long tongue, the rough muscle coiling and stroking inside of her like nothing else, dragging along her walls and plumbing her depths. One hand gripped the roll underneath her while the other grabbed his hair and clenched, a keening wail echoing from Nara Matriarch's mouth as her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave.

The man between her legs didn't let up, licking and kissing and making her experience pleasure she had never felt before, wave after wave of bliss storming through her.

When he finally let up, his chin dripping with the juice of her orgasm, she slumped onto the roll, sweat running in rivulets down her body, breasts bouncing as her chest heaved while she sucked in lung-full's of air. "Oh gods, honey, that was amazing." Yoshino mumbled, lying limply while one of her hands patted around the bed.

Finding what she was looking for, she uncorked a green vial and tipped the contents back, blinking at the sudden rush of energy. A smile curled her lips as she leaned on her elbows and peered down at Naruto, crooking a finger to beckon him up.

He crawled forward and rolled over when she pushed on his shoulder, straddling him with his length pressing against her stomach. "Now, to the main event." She whispered, mostly to herself, raising her hips and scooting a bit so that his tip barely parted her swollen and weeping folds.

Slowly, so slowly, she descended, fingers clenching, nails scraping against his skin as she was stretched and filled in ways she had never experienced previously, almost uncomfortably.

Yoshino's eyes were tightly shut as electricity arced up and down her body, holding in her breath while the discomfort faded and was replaced with pleasure. She exhaled harshly and pulled up before dropping down, a moan squeezing through her teeth as she bounced on his lap. Naruto grabbed her hips and helped her move, faster and faster until their skin smacked together loudly, echoing inside the enclosed space of the tent.

The Nara Matriarch threw her head back as her lover began to push up, meeting her halfway and reaching even deeper inside of her. She started to chant under her breath, gaining volume until she was crying out, "YES, YES, YES!"

Naruto grunted and pulled her hips down as the coil inside him broke and his orgasm washed over him, spraying his seed deep inside of the older woman on top of him.

Yoshino _screamed_, her voice cracking from the pressure. "Hot! Gods, it's so hot!"

Her back arched as pleasure rushed through her, sapping her energy and at the same time making her hungry for more.

Once it ended for her, she slumped over on Naruto's chest, breathing deeply and asleep.

Naruto gently pulled out and set her on her side, spooning against her back, his eyes beginning to close.

He was awoken by the pop of a cork as Yoshino downed another stamina potion and grabbed his face, pressing her lips to his and feeding him with her tongue. "What makes you think we are anywhere near done, my dragon?" She asked in a dangerously sultry voice.

She manhandled him on top of her, dug her fingers deep into the dirt, locked her legs around his waist, trapping his arousal deep inside of her, looked him in the eyes and growled out two words: "Fuck me."

The dragon hybrid narrowed his eyes and thrust roughly, spearing into her core and pushing her back into the cushions of his bed-roll. He set a blistering pace, slamming into her and quickly pulling out to plunge back in, Yoshino spewing encouragement and expletives at an equal rate as he did his best to create a detailed imprint of her back in the ground.

…

Naruto awoke suddenly, unaware that he had fallen asleep. Regular breaths of warm air brushing over his pectorals made him aware of the head of brown hair resting on his chest, where Yoshino Nara slept peacefully, hair tangled and a satisfied smile on her face.

Her breath hitched and she awoke, turning to look up at him. "Hey there." She murmured softly, lightly kissing his muscles.

"What a night." He said in reply, stroking her back. His mind flashed back to the four other times they had sex before finally falling into exhaustion. Unconsciously, his blanket began to tent as arousal became known to him again.

He was drawn from his memories as Yoshino grabbed a hold of his length and began to stroke. "Ooh, breakfast, just for me? You shouldn't have." And slipped underneath the covers to suck-start the morning.

After he spent himself in her mouth and once more inside her core, the Nara Matriarch made to stand and failed, falling back down on top of Naruto. They looked at each other and began to laugh at the silliness of the situation. At one point, she had growled at him to make it so she couldn't walk the next day, and he had delivered.

The hybrid wrapped an arm around her and channeled a healing spell, sighing in relief as the soreness began to fade.

Yoshino managed to stand and wrap her yukata around herself, then turned to Naruto and spoke. "We only worked through three years of stress, honey. Still nine more to go." She winked lasciviously and limped from the tent, not needing to sway her hips to draw his attention to her rear.

As the flap closed, Naruto sat in silence before lifting both arms in the air as triumphant music played in his head, expression unchanging.

In his mindscape, the black dragon that was his father figure cried a few tears of pride and joy for his son, while the other inhabitants both did their best to ignore the music.

…

The weeks passed, and as the days changed, so did the scenery. Thick forest made way for plains with tall grass as far as the eye could see, which gave away to scrublands dotted with shrubs and rocks, which then morphed into rocky lands interrupted by the occasional coniferous tree, that then became mountains that pierced the clouds and valleys that were filled with snow.

As the convoy drew closer to Kumogakure, Samui and Yugito began to get tense and irritable, spending many a night with their betrothed in his tent, sleeping fitfully.

Naruto was walking next to the lead cart, whistling to himself when the gates of Kumo came into view. A silent signal went through every ninja and they all stiffened, straightening hitae-ite, brushing dust from their clothes and tightening the straps to their weapon pouches.

Nejiko stared at the gates bearing the clouds, her yellowed eyes narrowed as she flipped a black shuriken in one hand, while Hanabi made sure her boots were tight and secure and Hinata pulled her gloves up.

Lightning cracked and thunder clapped as bright light flashed over the gate, fading to reveal the Raikage standing atop the arch, his arms folded over his muscled chest, blue and white coat flapping in the wind as he gazed seriously down at them from the shadow cast by his hat-of-station.

Naruto glanced at his two fiancées in worry, only to find identical expressions of dead-pan disbelief. "How much do you want to bet he practiced that?" He heard Samui whisper to her sister.

"Never take a sucker's bet." She replied dryly.

Naruto snorted quietly and felt his lips twitch, looking up at the muscled man posing on the gate. The Raikage stepped from the platform and dropped to the ground, cracking the rock under his weight while looking completely serious.

The jonin stepped forward and bowed slightly, keeping their eyes fixed on the 'tower of power' in front of them. He nodded back and pushed open the heavy wooden gates with one hand. "Welcome to Kumogakure." He boomed thunderously. "The Exams begin in one day, and fighting beforehand is not allowed. Any who do so will be punished. While you here, you are welcome to peruse the shops at your leisure and take in the culture and atmosphere of my village."

A nodded again. "Once more, welcome to Kumo." And then he vanished in a flash of lightning.

The caravan wheeled into the village with the merchants splitting off from the ninja to set up shop and sell their wares, and the ninja separated to explore the village hidden in the clouds.

Most buildings were tall and rectangular, with lightning rods spaced evenly on the rooftops to catch energy produced from the frequent thunderstorms that gave the country its' name.

Most impressive of all was the Raikage Tower. It towered over the other buildings around it with three lightning rods placed on the top, forming the shape of the kanji 'Yama'.

As Team Yuugao looked through the shops, with Yuugao and Naruto taking in the scenery with new eyes and the Nii sisters with familiar ones, a STRIKE member (the Kumo equivalent of ANBU), appeared next to them wearing a mask with thin blue lighting bolts on the cheeks. "The Raikage requests your presence in his office, Konoha-san."

The team traded glances before following the masked man through the streets and into the Raikage Tower. He led them to the top floor and left them with a bow at the desk of the Raikage's secretary, a beautiful woman with mocha skin, dark green eyes and silver hair pulled into a loose bun on the back of her head.

She looked over the team, focusing on Samui and Yugito, with a lingering gaze on Naruto, she smiled slightly and stood from her desk, revealing the extent of the green kimono she wore, which reached mid-thigh and had a deep neck-line that showed some of her cleavage and the fishnet top underneath.

"Welcome back to Kumogakure, Samui-chan, Yugito-chan." She greeted with a short bow. "It's good to see you again."

Samui smiled at the woman, as did her sister. "It's nice to see you too, Mabui."

Mabui turned her eyes to the other Konoha ninja and bowed as well. "Welcome to Kumo, I am the Raikage's Secretary, Mabui."

Naruto stuck his hand out to shake, clasping the smaller woman's hand in his larger, clawed limb. "Nice to finally meet you. Samui and Yugito have told me a lot about you."

The serious woman smiled at the sisters. "Good things, I hope?"

He nodded with smile and kissed her knuckles. "Very good things."

The secretary colored slightly and bade them to follow her into the office. A, the Raikage, sat at his desk, hands folded with his hat in front of him. His dark eyes followed them as they walked in front of his desk and Mabui left.

Once the door was closed, he looked to the two blondes. "My daughters, it is good to see you back home." He greeted with a soft voice.

Samui stiffened, visage growing cold while Yugito scowled lightly. "This isn't our home anymore, father." The older of the two stated. "But it is good to see you again." The younger finished.

A's face fell before he looked at the gray-haired shinobi standing next to them. "Naruto Uzumaki. The Konoha no Kokushin. Are you taking care of my girls?"

Naruto looked down at the man and quirked an eyebrow. "We take care of each other." He stated simply.

A narrowed his eyes on the hybrid and nodded. "Good answer. If you had said anything otherwise, you would've found yourself flying across Kumo from my fist."

The Hybrid's face became unimpressed. "Uh huh."

"You doubting my strength, boy?" The Raikage shot back.

"No." Naruto replied unconvincingly.

A stood from his desk, caught momentarily off-guard when the realization hit that genin in front of him was actually taller than the six-and-a-half-foot Lightning Shadow at seven feet eight inches. He put forth his hand to shake, and began to apply pressure when the genin grabbed his hand.

The two men narrowed their eyes on each other, subtly trying to break the other mans' fingers. Then subtlety was thrown out the window when the Raikage's arm began to spark and screech as blue lightning crackled around the limb, and Naruto's arm blackened, growing scales and talons in response.

When neither flinched, they withdrew their hands, nodding to the other with a little respect.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to talk to my daughters alone." A said evenly, sitting back in his chair.

Yuugao and Naruto nodded and turned to leave. The shinobi patted Samui on the shoulder and gave the sisters a reassuring look, then left them to talk with their father.

…

The next day came with a note attached to every team's door, giving them the location of the first exam, Room 322, Kumo's Shinobi Academy.

After their chat with the Raikage, the Nii sisters had come back relaxed and in a better mood, and Naruto was happy for them. His parents were dead, and while he knew why the tension between the Leader of Kumo and his daughters was present, he was glad they had managed to work something out. The physical distance between them was bad enough, the emotional one would only hurt them in the long run.

As Team Yuugao, absent the sensei, walked to the Academy, Naruto glanced at his teammates. With her tight pants, light metal shin-guards, sleeveless, light green leather armor, fingerless leather gloves and bracers, her weapon pouch, tanto and cold face made Samui the very definition of a femme fatale. Yugito was much the same, forgoing a blade for another satchel of weapons and tools, along with a belt that held two small scrolls and a belt-buckle imprinted with a paw-print, lightly-padded purple top and light leather boots.

Naruto wished they would wear more armor, but he also understood the fact that it would weigh them down when speed was the key to most battles. He understood that they could take care of themselves, but the protective fiancée part of him would also rather that they didn't die when he could do something about it. To that effect, he forged a pair of simple silver amulets enchanted with Wards that would spring up if their lives were in immediate jeopardy.

The armor also served intimidation purposes, as did the Daedric Bastard Sword on his back.

The Academy wasn't very tall, only five stories, though it was wide, with the kanji 'Ninja' painted on the front. A few other ninja loitered around the doors, either waiting for their teammates or just passing the time until the first exam.

They passed through the doors and ascended the steps, Naruto letting the sisters take the lead as they had learned in these halls, and therefore knew the way. Not as though it would be hard to find a room on the third floor, the nostalgia in their eyes was reason enough to drop back a step.

As room 322 came into view, so did the person leaning next it, their sensei. She glanced up as they approached and stepped forward to meet them. "I won't ask if you want to rethink this," She commented. "I know you won't. However, I do want you to know that I believe in you, and I know you'll do great. Just stick together, watch each other's backs, and you'll be fine."

Naruto, Samui and Yugito looked to each other and nodded firmly, ready for the challenge ahead.

Their sensei vanished in a puff of smoke and they walked through the doors, into a classroom stuffed full of people.

The room was more of a lecture hall, with descending seats and a stage area for a speaker.

Looking over the room, Naruto could spot a few familiar faces of other Konoha genin scattered around the room, and three times as many unfamiliar faces of genin from other countries.

"Naruto Uzumaki." A quiet, raspy voice called, making the hybrid turn to face the speaker.

The past several months had been kind to Sabaku Gaarin. With sleep not being something to fear any longer, her body had a chance to catch up. She had grown taller, if only by a few inches, and her form had filled out, no longer child-like and more girlish, with rounded hips and budding breasts, and the markings around her eyes had faded, drawing attention to her sea-foam eyes and the kind glimmer therein.

The gourd on her back was made of white sand and was strapped to her back via a crimson sash that crossed over the pure white breastplate that covered her chest; the remnants of Shukaku now used as armor. Under the small plate she wore a dark red robe with the hood down, the sleeves rolled up and slits cut up the sides for easy movement. A dark brown belt with her hitae-ite as the buckle held up tight pants that ended in leather boots that reached her knees, and the white flask that had served to free her hung from her neck as a pendant.

Naruto smiled and strode over to the red-haired girl and her siblings. "Gaarin, it's good to see you again, especially given the way I left." He nodded in greeting to Temari and Kankuro. "Temari, Clowny."

The Ichibi jinchuriki crossed her arms over her chest and returned the smile. "I had a feeling you would be here today. We should take some time to catch up later."

"I would like that." He replied as the door opened and admitted more genin, including Team Ten and Seven, who joined them quickly.

"I'm telling you Shikamaru, you're just looking for a problem." Ino told her childhood friend.

The brunette slacker shook his head. "And I told you, my mom is never this relaxed. Never. I think she's taking drugs, I just don't know how to confront her. On one hand, mom being relaxed is good, she's less troublesome. On the other hand, drugs are bad."

"If they're just making her relax, they can't be bad drugs, can they?" Chouji asked around a mouthful of chips.

Shikamaru sighed and scratched his ponytail. "It's the principle of the thing, Chouji."

Naruto crossed one arm over his chest and planted his elbow in his hand, covering his mouth and trying not to smile.

The door was kicked open by Kiba, who marched up to the group and announced, "What's up, Bitches?"

Hinata narrowed her eyes and smacked him in the back of the head. "What did I say about keeping clan slang inside the clan?"

He rubbed the back of his skull and mumbled. "Keep it inside the clan."

Someone sidled up to the gathering and spoke up. "You know, being so loud will draw attention to yourselves."

Naruto looked down and saw an older teen with white hair and round glasses looking at the group with a knowing smirk. "And you are?"

The teen adjusted his glasses. "Kabuto Yakushi, one of your fellow genin."

Satsuki looked him up and down before crossing her arms. "Aren't you a little old to be a genin?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "One could say that, but the exams are nothing to scoff at. I've been to seven, and they never get any easier."

Kiba scoffed. "Seven? Maybe you just suck."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps the challenges you will face here are beyond your capabilities?"

Naruto stopped listening to the conversation as an odd scented filtered into his nose. _Clean metal, sanitizing chemicals and reptiles…what kind of combination is that?_ He wondered to himself.

"-And I have all the information on the genin here. Just ask and I'll show you." Kabuto announced, pulling a deck of blank white cards from his pouch.

A large hand grabbed his arm and forced the appendage back down. "How about you don't give away information around people we'll be facing shortly?" Naruto stated firmly, meaningfully glancing around at the other genin listening closely.

Kabuto blushed in embarrassment. "Right, sorry."

While his head was turned, something caught the corner of his eye, and Naruto looked to the side as someone rushed at them, rage boiling in his veins at the sight of three familiar ninja.

The spiky haired boy with 'Shi' on his shirt, the one who blew him off a cliff into Hircine's Hunting Grounds. The one wrapped in bandages who declared him trash and ordered the other to blow him off a cliff. And the girl who seemed to be against it.

The girl would be the only one he wouldn't kill, unless she gave him a reason.

Unknown to Naruto, his anger was known to Kabuto, who went white and fell to his knees, frantically scrabbling at Naruto's hand that was painfully squeezing his arm, making the bone creak in distress.

At the sight of crimson eyes glaring at them, promising agony, the team from Oto stopped as visions of their deaths flashed before their eyes.

Naruto shook his head and let go of Kabuto's arm with a muttered apology as clouds of smoke burst around the edge of the room, fading away to reveal Kumo chunin looking at them.

"Alright, everybody calm down." The jonin at the front ordered, arms crossed over his chest. "You are all here to take the Chunin Exams, I'm lead to believe?"

At their nods, he snapped his fingers and a chunin planted a pair of boxes on two desks. "Very well. Calmly take a number from these boxes and find your seats, then the first Exam will begin."

After everyone was seated, he formed a handseal and released a wave of chakra. "I am Kay, your proctor for the First Exam." He snorted, the golden nose ring in his left nostril shaking as he did. "The sign I just made activated the seals placed on the bottom of your seats. What do these seals do, you ask calmly?"

He snapped his fingers again, making the chunin pass out sheets of paper and a pencil. "They adhere your rears to your seats, so you can't leave without giving up or failing."

A couple genin attempted to stand, but were shocked and slumped back down. "Trying to leave will shock you, as you saw." Kay said with a smirk. "On these papers, you will find a quiz on general knowledge a chunin level ninja should have. Here are the rules: You have three chances. Each time you are caught cheating, you will be shocked, with the intensity going up each time. If get caught three times, you will be shocked into unconsciousness, along with your teammates, and you will fail."

Teammates traded looks, some angry, others fearful.

Kay sat in the chair at the teacher's desk and leaned back with his feet on the desk. "You have one hour to complete the test." He flipped open a book and started reading.

The scratching of pencils and the rustling of paper was heard for several minutes, until one genin in the back grunted in pain as an electrical shock coursed through his body.

…

The jonin lounge had a tv connected to several cameras within the Examination room, and the jonin themselves had a prime view of the test.

No one really spoke, simply watching the genin write, and occasionally someone would curse as their team was electrocuted into unconsciousness and left to retrieve them.

Kakashi turned to look at Guy, his eye narrowed. "I say, this is a rather shocking turn of events."

Guy sat up and looked at his fellow jonin searchingly before a fire lit in his eyes. "I find this test to be shocking in nature."

"I am absolutely shocked at this breach of ethics."

"I am electrified by the drama unfolding."

Kurenai slapped a hand to her face as the two continued to trade puns.

…

Once the hour had passed, a third of the genin had been cleared out. Kay snapped his book closed and stood in front of the classroom once more. "To those who remain, congratulations on making it this far." He pulled a coin out of his pouch and placed it on his thumb. "And here is the last part of the test. I will flip this coin. If it lands head-up, you will all pass. If it lands tail-up, you will all fail. If you don't want to take this chance, I will release you from the seal on your seats and you can leave calmly, but you will fail. Any takers?"

Several genin raised their hands immediately, and were let go then and there. As time passed, half of the room was cleared, until only half of the original genin remained.

"No more?" The proctor asked, looking around the room. When no one made to move, he shrugged. "Alright. Here we go."

He flipped the coin into the air, every eye fixed on the silver spinning disk as it rose into the air, crested the arc and began to descend. The frantic heart-beats of every genin was nearly audible as the coin headed towards the ground.

The moment was lost when Kay reached out and snagged the coin from the air and put it back in his pocket. "Congratulations, you have passed the First Exam."

Silence ruled the classroom before someone stood up from their seat and shouted, "What?!"

The jonin smirked. "Every mission is a gamble. A simple delivery could become an ambush, an easy escort could start a war and all sorts of things. Nothing is certain in the world of Ninja, and you staying here calmly is evidence that you accept that. Does that mean you actually are? Maybe. Is it enough to get to the next test? Yes."

The door at the top of the room flew open, bouncing off the wall with a loud slam. "Alright you poor sons-of-bitches, I hope you're prepared for the Second Exam!"

Having shouted that, the woman standing in the doorway swept an imperious gaze over the gathering of genin. She was tall, easily breaking six feet, with chocolate skin, pale blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She wore a Kumo jonin jacket shaped into a girdle around her stomach, a belt made of chains around her waist, from which multiple long scraps of cloth fluttered over a pair of shorts. A pair of sandals with shin guards wrapped with chains made up her footwear, while a pair of bracers, also wrapped with chains, were strapped around her wrists, and bandages covered her breasts, leaving her muscled stomach, decorated with multiple tattoos, bare.

"Follow me to where the Second Exam will take place!" She shouted, waving her arm and walking out of the class.

Naruto looked around the room, finding the first proctor and the chunin gone. He met up with his teammates, Yugito looking slightly frazzled from a shock, and followed after the Second Proctor who had broken into a jog.

They followed her through Kumo, down part of the mountain the village sat on, and into the mouth of a valley that overlooked a wide field that was fenced off.

The woman jumped on top of the fence and looked down at the genin. "I am Yotsuki L, the Proctor for the Second Phase of the Chunin Exams. As for where we are, we are currently at the entrance to the most dangerous training ground in Kumo. Training Ground number 13, the Valley of Blades."

Looking behind her and into the valley, the genin could see why it was called that. Thousands of stalagmites pointed from the ground, sharp edges gleaming in the sunlight as far as the eye could see.

L grinned at the trepidation on the faces beneath her. "This is where the Second Exam will take place. Before I explain any further, my assistants will pass out these forms." She snapped her fingers and several chunin darted into the crowd, handing out papers.

"These are simple forms, stating that you and your village won't hold Kumo responsible for your death, that you did this of your own free will and yadda, yadda, yadda shit like that." She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her neck. "Anyway, sign them or you can't continue."

There was shuffling and muttering, but in the end, all the forms were signed and passed back. The evil grin on L's face was not comforting. "You poor bastards have no idea what you are getting into." She muttered clearly, voice carrying over the crowd. "So, here is what's going to happen."

The Proctor held up a pair of amulets, one white, and the other black. "Every team will get one of these, either the black one or the white one. Your task is to get both, because you can't pass the test without them. There are two reasons for this: so we eliminate half of you idiots, and so that the remaining half can actually complete the test."

She pointed off into the middle of the training ground, towards a dark shape that had dark clouds thrashing around the top. "Your objective is to make your way to that, the Storm Spire, which is surrounded by a powerful lightning storm that never ends, with bolts strong enough to disintegrate a human being. The only thing that can get through it unharmed is the Raikage, and a person bearing these amulets, which will protect your entire team if you remain in contact with them. Reach the Spire with your whole team alive within five days, and you pass."

L grinned at the pale faces in the crowd. "One team will go into the hut at time and after we're all spread out and ready, the test will begin."

The genin lined up in front of a hut that had cloth draped over the opening and disappeared into it, one team at a time.

As they waited, someone came up from behind Samui and caught her in a surprise hug, yelling, "Nee-Chan!"

Samui reacted like anyone who fights for a living and drove her foot back and up, right into the crotch of her assailant, who dropped to the ground, whimpering and clutching his bruised man-bits.

"I told you that was a stupid idea, idiot!" A woman shouted loudly, bringing her fist down on the blond man's head, red hair swaying from the motion.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, looking down at the man who resembled Samui a bit with similar hair. "Who's this?"

Samui pinched the bridge of her nose while Yugito giggled. "He's Atsui." She grumbled in resignation. "He was a kid at the orphanage who decided I was lonely, so he dyed his hair and declared himself my brother to cheer me up. Of course, after he did that, I was adopted, and he would regularly get into trouble by trying to sneak into our home, not wanting to be separated from his 'nee-chan.'"

"Not hot…" The blond man moaned, standing on shaky legs. "Not hot at all, nee-chan. I was just trying to show you my brotherly love."

Naruto snorted as the red-head turned on Atsui. "By sneaking up and grabbing her from behind? You moron!"

Atsui locked onto the hybrid standing next to his 'sister'. "You!" He cried dramatically, pointing in Naruto's face. "You're the evil beast who stole my sister away! You probably did terrible, horrible things to her, like take her chastity before she's married!"

Samui blushed furiously and quickly gut-punched the loud blond. "Shut up! Don't shout such things so loudly!"

Karui looked at the blushing blonde and quickly deduced the reason. "Gods, you really had sex with this guy?" She whispered angrily. "I thought you said you wouldn't until you had no choice!"

Yugito quirked an eyebrow at her sister with a smile. "Really, Samui? I know we didn't like having our marriages arranged, but we said we would wait until we met the guy."

Samui crossed her arms, doing her best to ignore the heat coming from her face. "I was angry, okay? But it doesn't change the fact that yes, I did have…relations with Naruto before we are married, but it was my choice. I love him." She declared simply.

Naruto wrapped an arm around Samui and kissed her cheek with a smile. Hearing that warmed his heart like nothing else. "I love you too." He murmured quietly. The blonde looked up at him with wide eyes before burying her face in his side, arms around his chest.

Karui gaped at the display of affection from a woman she only knew as cold and stoic. "And you're alright with this?" She Yugito asked in disbelief.

The blonde jinchuriki shrugged and put her arm around Naruto as well. "I do get jealous sometimes, but after we nearly came to blows over it, Samui and I swore that we wouldn't let our feelings for the same guy destroy our bond as sisters."

Omoi looked at the two blondes hugging the tall man and shook his head. "I'm not even going to comment."

"Good, cause it's your turn!" L shouted, "Hurry up!"

The three Kumo genin made their way into the hut, the blond still crying from his 'nee-chan's love'. The covering closed and small flash of light shone from the edges before the Proctor motioned Team Yuugao forward and handed Yugito a black amulet.

They entered the small room and stood on an upraised platform as Mabui made a handsign in front of them. Crackling filled the air and light flashed, making them blink as they found themselves standing in front of gate leading into the training ground.

A speaker buzzed as it turned on, and L's voice came through. _"Alright you little bastards, the Second Exam begins…Now!"_

The gates slid open and they dashed inside, heading towards the black Spire in the distance.

…

Yotsuki L stood on the gate watching the little black dots representing the genin run off. She turned to look at the sky and smiled as full grey clouds slowly rolled over the valley, sealing it like the lid of a coffin.

"We timed this perfectly." She muttered to herself, crossing her arms over her chest as small white flakes began to descend from the sky. "The first blizzard of the season. Man vs Man vs Nature!"

L licked her lips and thought of the tallest genin there, the one with the large, brutal sword and the multitude of tattoos. _He's aesthetically pleasing to look at, tall, muscled and tattooed. Just my type._ She thought with a grin. _I haven't gotten laid in three years, fucking pussies afraid of a woman who's taller than they are. I could use a wild night._

"Whoo! Now I can't wait!" She shouted to the skies, laughing to herself as the wind picked up and snow began to pelt her form.

…

In his office, the Raikage propped his chin on his fingers, his mind on the conversation he had last night with his two daughters.

Looking over them made his heart ache. They had grown so much only a little less than a year, and it was because of his father that he didn't get to see it. A glanced at the picture next to his own on the wall of the Raikage, the glass cracked from when he had thrown it across the room.

_Damn you, old man. Your greed for bloodlines made me give up my daughters, one for the Hyuuga incident, and the other for when you tried to kidnap the Last Uzumaki, who was also the current Kyuubi Jinchuriki._ A thought furiously to himself, lightning unconsciously flaring around his form, before it faded as his temper waned. _At least my daughters are happy with the man they are to be wed to. And now I can't even fantasize about killing the guy without also imagining the heartbreak it would put them through._

The Raikage stood from his desk and grabbed a scroll, quickly scribbling something down and gesturing for a STRIKE member. "Here," He handed it to the masked woman. "Take this to the Thunder Priests' Temple, ask for the Head Priest and deliver this to him. Understood?"

The STRIKE member nodded once and vanished in a flash of lightning, and A slumped down into his chair. _I'll miss so much once this over,_ He thought sadly, _But I am_ not_ missing my daughters' weddings._

…

…

**A/N: And there you go, we are finally in Kumo, just like I promised. Happy now? Next chapter, we get into the second exam.**

**So, how did you like my all new, semi-original idea for the Chunin Exams, eh? Interesting right? Right?**

**Damn right.**

**Anyway, something I wanted to point out that is kind of weird: Sizes.**

**And when I say 'Sizes', I'm talking about breasts. I've noticed that in almost every fic (almost, NSG), the authors identify just how large the female's breasts size are with cup measurements.**

**Why? Why the fuck does it matter just how big they boobs are?**

**So, in response to that, I have made it a point in most of my stories to never identify the size, simply using 'large' or 'small' or 'moderate' or whatever, same thing with the main characters' jock. Who actually gives a damn? Not I, and some are fucking ridiculous! Did you know that anything bigger than seven inches can be extremely painful for ladies? **

**So I don't mention the size, just imagine that it's a sizable enough to satisfy the ladies. This is Fanfiction dot net, isn't it? Unleash your fuckin' imaginations!**

***Sigh* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and since I doubt the next one will come out in time for Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving Day.**

**If you don't celebrate the day, take the day off, get some turkey, some mashed potatoes, some stuffing and some eggnog and just tell people you are appreciating other cultures holidays!**

**And now, since this note is way too damn long, Stay Awesome!**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: Why are most people wearing boots? Answer: If you're going to be fighting ninja who carry sharp implements and will do anything to win, you should probably cover your goddamn toes.**

**Stay Awesome Some More.**

**~still Soleneus**


	12. The Second Exam in the Snow

**Chapter Twelve: The Second Exam in the Snow**

The blizzard hit an hour after the Second Exam started. At first, it was simply a light dusting of snow flakes that floated lazily down from the sky. But within minutes it became a storm of driving ice that forced every team to hunker down in whatever shelter they could make that wouldn't collapse within minutes under the force of the falling snow, and wait it out.

That waiting took the rest of the day and the whole night, with the blizzard finally fading just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Now the Valley of Blades was covered in nearly three feet of snow, providing an entirely new range of challenges the genin had to deal with.

One such team from Kusagakure waded through the white powder, shivering and cursing the cold. Kusa was mild year-round, and the coldest part of winter would result in frost on the grass, if that, so they were completely unprepared for snow.

"God, it's so fucking cold!" One of the shinobi complained loudly, dressed in a pair of loose green pants and a forest green vest. Good camouflage in the grasslands and forests, but not so much in the snow.

"Shut up, Hiru!" Shouted the girl of the team; a brunette in a set of dark blue robes with a round straw hat on her head. "We know it's fucking cold! We are well aware of that!"

"Both of you, be quiet." The leader, a shinobi with bandages wrapped around his mouth like a mask ordered, sharp grey eyes glancing suspiciously around at the blades protruding from the snow.

There was only silence amidst the cold, white environment.

A sharp whistle cut the air and Hiru cried out, hitting the ground with a black shuriken sticking from his thigh. The kunoichi drew a kunai and spun around, on guard for more attacks.

A pair of whistles sounded as two more black shuriken stabbed into her shoulders, and another into the back of her knee, taking her out of the fight.

The leader pivoted rapidly, two kunai in his hands and sweat freezing on his forehead. He too, tumbled to the ground in pain as a black shuriken lanced into his thigh and another into his right shoulder, and one more into the top of his left hand.

Hiru made to rise but was cut down by another black star that was thrown hard enough to knock him down, bouncing harshly off of his hitae-ate.

As the downed team laid there where they fell in the snow, fading quickly into unconsciousness due to their injuries, a pair of feminine voices could be heard in the distance.

"-I trained for years to get as good as I am with my weapons, but you go on one trip with Naruto and come back with shuriken that completely blow my skills out of the water?" One vocalized in disbelief.

"To be fair, the trip was just to find Naruto, not acquire anything else." Another returned stoically.

"…How the fuck is that fair?!"

A team of Konoha genin appeared from behind a blade and approached the downed Kusa team, the angry voice coming from the genin kunoichi in pink, Tenten. Next to her was her teammate, Nejiko, whose eyes were pale yellow with veins bulging in her temples, a clear sign of her using the Byakugan. "Fairness is relative, Tenten. Just because my shuriken are good at long-range doesn't mean I can hurl a battle-axe like you can." Nejiko stated, ripping the black amulet around the nearly-unconscious genin's neck away. "We have what we need. Time to get the Storm Spire, and out of this cold."

Lee pumped his fists into the air. "Yosh! With such a speedy victory, we will have proved that our Flames of Youth burn with the passion of thousand suns!"

The Hyuuga genin scowled at the way her teammates' voice echoed off the rocks. "Lee, shut up, sounds carry in such an empty space." She paused to collect her shuriken and they quickly moved off.

Hiru groaned as a pair of Kumo chunin arrived to take them from the field. "Why did we have to get taken down by such a homo?"

…

Samui was bleeding, life-blood dripping on to the snow and tainting it red. She clutched her side, panting in pain and exertion as she limped through the snow-driven valley. "Naruto! Yugito!" She called desperately.

When no answer came, she leaned against the flat side of a blade and allowed hot tears to spill from her eyes, and they froze to her cheeks. She was alone. Alone, injured and afraid. Her lover and her sister could be anywhere in this frozen hell.

"What do we have here?" A voice came from above her.

Samui jumped in fright and stumbled away from the blade, looking up to see an Iwa genin leering down at her from atop the tip.

"Seems we got a lost little leaf, all alone in the snow." Another voice said, coming from a kunoichi that sidled around the same stalagmite.

Another Iwa shinobi came around the other side, crossing his arms and examining her closely. "She doesn't have the amulet we need." He stated crossly, looking irritated. "Kill her and let's be moving on."

"Aw, damn." The kunoichi whined playfully. "You sure I can't cut her up just a little bit? Look at that skin! It's so pale and smooth and cut-able!"

Samui heard those words and saw the murderous gleam in that kunoichi's eyes. She turned and ran as fast as she could, hearing the woman excitedly shout out, "Yes! I love it when they run!" She sounded more than a little aroused.

Samui ran, dodging through the blades, hearing metal crack against rock as the Iwa genin threw shuriken and kunai at her. Her heart pounded as her legs pumped. "Naruto! Yugito! Help me!"

A ball of compacted mud slammed into her back, driving the air from her lungs and her body into the ground. "Help me, help me!" An Iwa shinobi called in mockingly falsetto voice. "Fucking Leaf pansies, can't even die with some damn dignity!"

Samui looked up, tears in her eyes, as she was surrounded by the Iwa team, fenced in by bodies and white stalagmites. She held up a shaking hand. "Wait," She pleaded, tears spilling from her eyes.

The kunoichi of the team looked surprised before she threw her head back and guffawed, the humored noise echoing off of the emptiness. "Wait?" She asked incredulously. "A kunoichi, a Leaf kunoichi, gets on the wrong side of a jutsu and all you can say is 'wait'? Wait for what? Wait for us to change our minds? Wait for your friends to help? Wait for-"

The stalagmite behind the Iwa kunoichi crumpled as something burst from it, gliding over the snow like a wraith to impale her through the heart with a tanto. "No…Wait for me to kill you." Samui hissed viciously in her ear.

The Iwa leader turned as the stalagmite behind him was blown apart find a large figure robed in white to grab him by the face and hurl him into an actual blade, crying out in pain when two icicles stabbed through his shoulders and pinned him to the rock face.

Yugito ducked and rolled forward, her snow-built cover collapsing as she dove through it, driving a kunai into the back of the other Iwa shinobi's knee. As he fell to the ground, howling in pain, she yanked the blade out and shoved it up into his throat, through his mouth and into his brain.

Naruto slapped the thrashing genin's legs away from him as he moved in and snatched the white amulet hanging around his neck, storing it in his pocket. "We have what we need, ladies. Let's finish it off."

Her job done, Samui's clone collapsed into a puddle of red-tinted, frosty water. The actual Samui removed her blade from the Iwa kunoichi's back and let the corpse fall to the ground, wiping the blood staining her tanto away on the snow. Yugito gave up on retrieving her kunai, pushing the dead body away leaving and looting a couple replacements from the corpse.

The team leader panted in pain and anger as his comrades' blood spread on the snow around them. "I'll kill you for this!" He screamed, frothing at the mouth. "I know your faces! I know where you live! I swear to-"

Naruto stepped forward and punched the shouting shinobi in the throat, cartilage crunching as his trachea was crushed. The dragon nodded to his teammates, and they left the choking genin to his fate, disappearing into the snow as if they had never been there with the exception of three corpses.

"Why was I the bait?" Samui asked in an irritated, muffled whisper.

"It was just a clone, and you wouldn't even act like that in the same situation." Yugito replied with a dry look. "And you drew the short straw, that's why."

"Ladies," Naruto interjected quietly, "Keep it down."

The two sisters nodded and fell silent as they trekked through the valley of blades. Using a variation of the Tree and Water Walking techniques, they walked over the snow, leaving only the barest of imprints in the white powder. In addition to that, they had used the bandages sealed in Yugito's Field-Medicine kit to wrap themselves in the white cloth; covering their bodies and leaving only their eyes in the open. They were ghosts in the snow.

Team Yuugao traveled for hours, the Spire and the malevolent storm surrounding it growing closer with each step, distant thunder rapidly booming over the distance like drums, occasionally joined by screams and shouts.

It had started snowing again, white flakes buffeting the exposed parts of their faces. "Can't you get rid of this?" Yugito asked in annoyance, wiping her eyes for what felt like the twentieth time in a minute.

"I could get rid of it, sure." Naruto admitted easily. "But I won't. It's good camouflage, and if I did, it would alert the others that there is something out there that can change the weather when it suits them."

The blonde jinchuriki sighed in resignation, tightening the bandages around her face. "I know, I just wanted to bitch a little. The silence is getting to me."

The hybrid suddenly pulled up, his ears perking while he looked around suspiciously. And then a feminine scream rent the air. "HELP ME!"

A flash of red caught their attention as a kunoichi in a tan coat dashed through the area ahead of them, followed by two teammates and pack of large white-grey wolves that had nearly caught up. And then they did.

One of the shinobi tripped and sprawled on his face in the snow, screaming as something pounced on his back and fastened terribly sharp fangs around his neck, then whipped its' head, ending his life with a sharp snap and a gurgle.

The second shinobi turned and threw a handful of shuriken at another beast, the metal stars leaving basically harmless scratches and only angered the wolf. The genin reached into his pouch to grab more weapons when another beast tackled him from the side and furiously tore at his face, shredding his arms as he vainly tried to protect his throat.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and summoned the Dawnbreaker from its' seal on his hand and made to move forward, only to be stopped by Samui grabbing his arm. "What are you doing?"

He jerked his head at the screaming red-head, who had stumbled and ran into the flat-side of a stalagmite, tumbling into the snow. "Saving her life." He stated obviously, giving the blonde a strange look.

"Why?" She asked in confusion.

Naruto arched an eyebrow at her, frowning lightly. "So, you're saying you _don't_ want to save a helpless human from being eaten alive by wolves?" He questioned.

She looked at the hysterically crying girl as the wolves closed in and sighed, shaking her head.

"Thought so."

Naruto dashed forward, jumping on top of a blade and leapt through the air as the wolf lunged for the girl. He landed on its back and drove it to the ground, his silver blade flashing as he drove into the wolfs' throat, before ripping it out and spilling hot blood onto the snow.

The hybrid gripped the Dawnbreaker as he stood in front of the red-haired genin, glancing back to see her staring up at him with wide solid red eyes.

Karin sat on the ground, cold wetness seeping through her pants, her panting fogging her glasses, staring up at the tall, white clothed man who just saved her life, standing with one foot on a dead wolf, glowing silver sword in hand, looking at her with concerned reddish-orange eyes that should have inspired terror…but oddly didn't.

Time slowed to a crawl as her favored technique, the Mind's Eye of Kagura, activated without any conscious effort, but something changed. Instead of showing the tall swordsman's chakra, it showed…something else entirely.

_A red sun was erupting behind him._

_He stood before her, clad in plate armor of the purest, but not blinding white with a golden sun embossed on the breastplate, which glittered and pulsed like something alive._

_A white cape, trimmed in gold, decorated with a crimson swirl surrounded by runic scratches on his back, fluttered in the wind._

_Clutched in his hand was that silver blade, gleaming proudly in the light, golden veins flowing through it like blood, the guard shining with a miniature sun, the scaled hilt gripped tightly in one hand._

_She could see most of his face. It was bereft of tattoos or markings, showing light grey skin. Vicious white horns swept back from his head, looking regal and threatening at the same time, like a crown of blades. A helm of white plate fit around his horns and covered his forehead and nose, leaving his eyes free._

_His eyes…he was staring at her with a burning, but comforting intensity. They were chips of obsidian floating pools of molten gold; his look that radiating power, safety and warmth._

_His lips curled into a soft smile, and she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips._

"_My Knight…"_

Naruto held his arm up as one of the other beasts lunged at him and locked its jaw around his forearm, sharp teeth failing to penetrate his thick skin. He angled the Dawnbreaker up and stabbed it under the wolf's ribs, the silver blade fatally penetrating the heart.

The wolves jumped away from the corpses of their prey and circled the hybrid as he tossed the body of their deceased brethren away. The alpha of the pack, a wolf with red eyes and white fur, snarled at him, baring its' teeth and waving its' tail behind it, trying to be intimidating.

Having been challenged, Naruto narrowed his eyes on the pack and pulled the bandages covering his mouth away. His eyes began glowing fiercely and his teeth grew into sharp black fangs as his dragon side reared its' head. He sucked in a deep breath and stepped forward, opening his mouth and unleashing a bestial roar, the power of the sound causing the snow to scatter in front of him.

His fangs clicked as he closed his mouth and glared at the wolves, who sat still in fearful for a second as the roar echoed off of the rocks. As one, they turned tail and bolted from his presence, whimpering piteously with their tails between their legs.

Satisfied with the effect, Naruto glanced back at the Kusa genin shivering in the snow, who was still staring at him with wide red eyes. He slowly knelt next to her and held out his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked carefully.

She looked between his hand and his face for few seconds, shocked. She slowly reached out and took his much larger hand, her whole body shaking in a mix of adrenaline, fear and relief. "You saved me…" She mumbled to herself, looking at the cooling bodies of her teammates. Karin stumbled and buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck, beginning to sob. "My Knight…"

Naruto blinked in confusion at the title, hugging her back carefully and glancing at his teammates with a questioning look on his face.

They shrugged in return and began searching the bodies for the amulet. With two teammates dead, it's not was if Karin would be able to complete the test any longer.

Naruto gently pulled the red-head away from his shoulder and wiped the tears away from her face. "Hey, don't worry, alright? You're safe now, okay?" He said comfortingly.

Karin nodded and sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve. "What's your name?" He asked gently, drawing her attention away from the corpses and making her look up into his eyes.

"Karin…Karin Uzumaki." She replied softly, cleaning her glasses on her coat.

Naruto drew back in surprise. "Really? My name is Naruto _Uzumaki_." He said in disbelief.

Karin looked up at him, confusion and hope on her features. "Wha-really? I thought I was the last one!" She sprang forward and hugged him again, actually smiling.

Yugito approached the two of them with her sister in tow and handed him a black amulet that been taken from one of the corpses. "We really need to get moving again, all of this noise will have attracted attention we don't need." She tilted her chin at Karin. "What are we going to do with her?"

A Kumo Chunin appeared on top of a nearby stalagmite, the smoke from his shunshin quickly dissipating. "We will take her from the Exam Area and bring her back to her sensei, as we do with all the other teams that can no longer complete the test." He explained shortly, holding his hand out to Karin.

Karin shot a sad look at the bodies of her teammates and tightened her grip on Naruto's arm. "Will I be able to stay in Kumo for the rest of the exams?" She asked worriedly, not wanting to leave.

The Chunin nodded once. "Yes, but we need to leave now." He shook his arm for emphasis.

She nodded back and hugged Naruto tightly. "Thank you for saving me, Naruto. We need to meet again so we can talk about our clan."

"Of course, I'll look for you after this test." Naruto replied determinedly, patting her on the shoulder. "Stay safe."

The Chunin stepped forward and placed a hand on the red-head's shoulder, the both of them vanishing in a bolt of lightning as Team Yuugao took off towards the Spire once again.

…

The Spire was far taller than any of the blades in the valley, with a forked top made of two thick lightning rods that were struck nearly twice a minute. Thick, angry black clouds swirled ominously around top. Thunder pounded heavily and lightning cracked angrily, the earth the hill rested on seemingly made of obsidian, having been blackened and turned to glass from constant strikes that left the ground white-hot in multiple glowing spots.

As they approached the hill, Naruto looked up at the clouds with a furrowed brow. _Those clouds are unnatural._ He thought. _They feel more like a chakra construct, as opposed to a natural thing._

"**It's more than likely that it is."** Alduin commented, idly scratching his chin with a talon. **"A past Raikage may have created it either as a source of energy for Kumo or as a sign of strength for visitors."**

_That would fit with what I know._ Naruto handed the two amulets off to the girls, who put them around their necks and linked hands with him. As they stepped up and made to move forward, someone called out, "Wait!"

Team Yuugao turned around to find Team Seven running up to them, looking battle-worn. Suki had few cuts on herself while Sakura seemed to be missing a chunk of her hair and was limping slightly, while Hanabi had a nasty-looking bruise forming on her left cheek. "Naruto-kun!" The Uchiha heiress called, arriving in front of them.

"Hey ladies," He greeted them easily. It's not as if they would be attacked by their friends, and even if they were, they could simply just step into the storm and be protected by the lightning. "You look tired."

Suki huffed, holding her side tenderly. "You could say that. Some jackass snatched our amulet while we were fighting another team, and they both split, so we had to chase down the guy while the others got away." She explained. "We caught him a while back and got ours back, and we saw you guys."

Samui spoke up suddenly, drawing their attention. "Do you need a black amulet?"

Hanabi blinked in surprise, giving the buxom blonde an incredulous look. "Yeah, that's the one we need…you have an extra?"

She nodded, taking the extra from Naruto and tossing it the Hyuuga heiress. "We just got that. We were going to keep it to parse down the competition, but I would prefer to have as many of us moving on as possible." She replied with a shrug.

Suki nodded her thanks, hanging the white necklace around her neck while Hanabi did the same with the black, and both but Sakura's arms over their shoulders and helped to support her.

Together, the two teams trekked up the glassed hill, warily watching the lightning strike around them. They approached the base of the Spire, finding a pair of large wooden doors barring their way. The doors were locked, with key-holes shaped like the amulets around their necks.

Inscribed on the door was a quote. _To stand amongst the storm is to _- the rest was scribbled over with black marker, left by a far less polite individual. _'It's all about balance, bitches!'_ -_K.B._

Samui and Yugito shared exasperated looks. "Killer Bee," They muttered, shaking their heads. They stepped forward and pressed their amulets to the locks, which began to glow. The lock clicked, and the doors slowly opened inward, allowing both teams entry into the Spire.

They made their way down a small corridor that was lined with torches, leading to another pair of doors. As they walked, Team Yuugao stripped their camouflage off and stored it. Pushing the doors open, the teams found themselves awash in warmth. In contrast to the white snow and grey rock outside, the inside of the Storm Spire was warm and homey, with a large hearth that had a fire crackling merrily away inside of it. Sitting around the fire and in other parts of the room were various genin from varying villages, more than one holding a steaming cup of something and sitting in comfortable chairs.

As they entered, the ninja looked up, and more than a few waved in greeting. One genin stood up from her chair and approached the teams casually, a gentle smile on her face. "I'm glad to see that you've passed the test." Hinata said happily, nodding to her sister and Naruto. "We've got a few days before the next portion of the test, so follow me, I'll lead you to the medical center."

She folded her hands in the sleeves of her jacket and gestured for them to follow her, leading the two teams from the room. Once they were in an empty hallway, the kindly stoic Hinata faded and was replaced by Hinata the sister. She quickly stepped up and wrapped her arms around Hanabi, her sister quickly reciprocating the gesture.

"I'm so happy to see you guys," She expressed gratefully, moving down the line to hug everyone else, making Suki gasp in pain. "Sorry!"

The Uchiha Heiress waved her concern off, grimacing slightly. "Don't worry about it, I'm glad to see a familiar face as well. When did your team get here?" She asked, that Hinata didn't appear to be tired.

"Early this morning." She replied easily, giving Samui a friendly squeeze. "We pushed through the night and ambushed another team before the sun came up. Shino's eating, I think, and Kiba's still sleeping."

After Hinata embraced Naruto, pressing a kiss to cheek, the hybrid gestured for the girls to gather around. "Now that we're secluded, let me take care of your injuries, ladies." He said softy, his hands glowing with warm golden light.

He held his hands up, an ethereal orb forming between his palms. It pulsed softly, bathing them light and chiming softly. Team Seven sighed in unison as their injuries were healed, Sakura standing up by herself and Suki straightening as her side stopped hurting.

The light faded, leaving them healed, but still tired from their ordeal. As if on cue, Team Seven yawned in unison while Samui and Yugito's stomachs growled. "The cafeteria is that way," Hinata pointed down a hallway, giggling lightly at the embarrassed looks on their faces. "The rooms are one floor up."

The blonde sisters traded questioning looks, before both nodded. "We're going to the cafeteria," Yugito said for them, turning to walk away. "We'll find you guys later."

Hinata lead the rest up a floor, to a hall lined with doors, some with a white card on the front and others without. "The doors with the cards are being used," She explained, seeing their confused looks. "There's one on the wall right as you walk in, just put stick to the front so that the others know not to come in unless it's their room."

Team Seven found a card-less door and said goodbye, leaving Hinata and Naruto alone for awhile. He grabbed a room next to theirs, sticking his card on the door and marking it with a leaf and a Yuugao's name so that the blondes would be able to find him. Not that they needed it, but for simplicity's sake.

Turning, the hybrid wrapped his arms around the Hyuuga heiress, tilting her chin up and pressing his lips against hers. "I'm glad you're safe," he murmured once they separated. "I know you can take care of yourself, but I can't help but worry for your safety, you know."

"I know," She replied softly, kissing him again. "I was worried about you, too."

Smiling, they parted ways, Naruto closing his door and flopping on one of the beds, falling asleep almost immediately. Hinata watched him slumber for a few minutes, using her clan's eyes to peer through the wall, before she slipped in the door and closed it behind her, disrobing and climbing under the covers with her love. She laid herself on his chest, his heartbeat thrumming in her ears, and fell asleep quickly.

…

Naruto woke up slowly, finding a female body lying next to him. He had rolled on to his side in his sleep, and the woman in his arms had curled up against his chest. She was kissing the skin of his chest softly, her fingers running over his pectorals.

He sniffed the air, finding the scent of various flowers, mostly medical ones, with the strongest being lavender. "Hinata?" He whispered, feeling silken tresses in his hand.

Hinata froze in surprise, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Uh, no?" She squeaked in embarrassment. Feeling foolish, she rolled in Naruto's arms so that her back was to his chest and he couldn't see her bright red face.

The hybrid squeezed her gently. "What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked softly, nuzzling her hair.

"I-I wanted to…to…" She gulped loudly in the otherwise empty room. "Ever since we kissed during the Festival, I've wanted you…all of you." She admitted in a breathy, embarrassed whisper.

"Well…" He replied, kissing the back of her neck, making her gasp sharply. "I'm right here, Hinata. If you want me…I won't say no. Here," Naruto removed the hand around her stomach and held it up in front of her face. "Take my hand, and just show me what you want."

Hinata bit her lip, her fingers grasping the hand in front of her. She gently pressed her lips to the palm and took it by the wrist, dragging down her face. She pulled it down past her neck, letting brush over her breasts and belly, tight with nervous energy, and then directed it into the front of her panties.

Naruto kissed her neck again as wet heat engulfed his fingers. Slowly, he stroked the outside of her nether lips, Hinata clutching on his arm and moaning lowly. As he slid his fingers across her slick skin, the scent of feminine arousal began to permeate the room, and liquid flowed from her core, drenching his hand.

She whimpered quietly as the heat began to build in her stomach, helped along by her love lightly licking and kissing her neck and her ear. "Naruto…" Hinata whispered, breathing heavily. "Please…more…"

He pulled away slightly and rolled her onto her back, looking down into her glazed moonlit eyes as he carefully slid a finger past her lips and into her depths, her velvet walls clenching around his digit. She gasped at the intrusion, her eyes locked onto his, one of her hands gripping a handful of his hair. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers as her hips bucked, trying to take his finger deeper.

Gently thrusting into her core, Naruto kissed around her face, enjoying the soft moans and whispers of his name issuing from her mouth. His thumb pressed against the small nub of flesh above her lips, and Hinata made a strangled gasp as the coil in her belly snapped, a flood of her juices spilling out around his hand.

He gently kissed her as she shuddered and her eyes rolled up into her head, waves of pleasure at the hands of her now-lover washing through her.

Eventually, the waves faded, leaving her sweaty and somewhat weary, though with an ember of heat still warm inside of her. "Naruto-kun…" She whispered, one of her hands running over his cheek. "Lay on your back…I want…_all_ of you. Right here."

Complying, the hybrid laid himself back, pushing the pants he had fallen asleep in off and letting his arousal stand free. Hinata shuffled on top of him, straddling his hips, his length pressed against her nether lips. She licked her lips nervously, taking it in her hand and softly stroking it.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered, feeling her silky skin pulling on his arousal.

Looking down at the flesh in her hand, Hinata felt nervous, but determined. Feeling ready, she pushed herself up on her knees and lined the tip up with her entrance, and slowly, very slowly sunk down on his length.

She gasped and panted heavily at the sudden intrusion, the uncomfortable stretching sensation joined with a tingle of pleasure. Her hips rested against his as she took all of him inside of her, shuddering atop him as her virginity was given away.

Naruto refrained from moving, instead bringing one of his hands up from her waist to massage her stomach, trying to help her relax. "Take your time," He murmured encouragingly.

Hinata rocked her hips and moaned as pleasure shot through her. His length was hotter than she thought it would be, and it was far better than she hoped. She slowly withdrew him from her depths and sunk him back in, planting her hands on his chest to stabilize herself.

He thrust up into her core as she took him in, their pace never going above slow, tender love-making. "Hinata…" He murmured after what seemed to be hours of whimpers and moans of their names. "I'm nearly…there."

"Me too…" She whispered, leaning forward to meet his eyes. "Naruto…"

Naruto grit his teeth as he thrust into her, planting himself deep inside as his orgasm suddenly hit, sending a flood of white into her depths.

Hinata dug her finger nails into his skin as her walls suddenly clenched his length tightly and pleasure began to thrum through her veins. She kissed him passionately as his orgasm came with hers.

Finally, the intensity faded, leaving both panting heavily and awash in the afterglow. "It's so hot…" She mumbled, feeling the evidence of their love-making deep inside of her core. Tears began to drip from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks to splash onto Naruto's chest.

Worried, the hybrid wrapped his arms around his lover comfortingly. "Hinata, what's wrong?" He asked in concern.

Hinata looked up into his eyes, a beautiful smile curving her lips as joyful tears continued to spill from her eyes. "I'm complete…" She whispered ecstatically. "You complete me, Naruto-kun…I love you. I love you so, so much."

"Hinata-" His words were cut off as she seized him by the cheeks and planted a passionate kiss to his lips.

"You don't-" Hinata's words were interrupted as Naruto kissed her back, brushing his tongue through her lips to embrace hers.

He pulled back, looking into her eyes with as much sincerity as he could muster. "Hinata, I love you too."

She gasped quietly, knowing how hard it would be for him to say those words. "Naruto…"

He ran a hand through her violet tresses, a steaming tear quietly rolling down his cheek. "I love you, Hinata Hyuuga. I do."

Hinata buried her face in his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around him as her heart thundered with love.

Naruto held her fiercely, feeling much the same. Though, in the back of his mind, guilt wormed it's way into his thoughts.

And for the very first time, Naruto Uzumaki cursed an Aedra. He cursed Dibella for doing what she had, cursed her for twisting his being and being responsible for drawing so many women to him, and him to them. He couldn't not love them. He loved the women in his life, as numerous as they were, and they loved him back…but none of them had a choice in the matter. And neither did he.

Married or in relationship, homosexual or just not interested in anyone, they would be drawn to him, and he in return would be drawn to them. And they would love each other.

The most beautiful and terrible thing.

…

…

….

**A/N: Well, there you go. Kind of ended on a low note, huh? But, I don't know how clear I will have to make this, so I'll just say it, **_**again**_**. This, the harem, is a curse. Neither of them have choice. Both parties would be unwilling without the curse, but the insidious thing about it is, they don't know that. Individually, every woman wouldn't mind a relationship with Naruto, but not all together. That's what the curse does. It changes them. And the only reason Naruto is feeling guilty is because Dibella told him what it does.**

**It's because she's a Goddess. She doesn't care what it does as long as it makes him the perfect lover for her. And since she's in every beautiful woman, they will be drawn to Naruto and vice versa. They're just humans, and she's a Goddess.**

**Sigh.**

**So, I have an important announcement:**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: You've probably noticed that the chapter length is shorter than most previous chapters. That's because I'm going to be writing shorter chapters for all of my stories. I'll be avoiding the 10k monoliths because I simply cannot write that much in a short amount of time without getting burned out. So, you want chapters? Then they'll be coming in 5-6k chunks. That way, I can actually fucking write and update within a month, instead of a year.**

**As annoying as it may be for you, it is far more annoying for me. I've also learned to never say "it'll be coming soon' because it makes me feel like a fucking tool if it doesn't,**

**I also have new stories up, including the sequel to my Mass Effect story, Hero, I am Not (called Still Not A Hero) a Fallout 3 story (called Dare to Wander) and an Everyday Monster Girls (Monster Musume no Ichijirou) story (called The Life With Monster Girls). Check em out if you like those things.**

**Side note, the vision Karin saw is not how Naruto will look in the future, it's simply a possibility.**

**Also, I refurbished the first chapter of this story and I'm nearly done with the second. Why not take a look? And before you do that, why not review? And then maybe tell your friends, and maybe they'll review, too?**

**Stay Awesome.**

**~Soleneus**

**P.S.: Two things: One: Hey jackass, if you're going to complain about the lore, how about you understand it first, huh? Werewolves in the Elder Scrolls are not the myth we have where they only change during the full moon, which you would know if you played the damn game, or hell, even just googled it.**

**Two: Should I split up the previous chapters? I'm pretty much thinking 'no', but I'd like to hear what you think.**

**Stay Awesome Some More.**

**~still Soleneus**


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